This Adventure called Life
by mabelreid
Summary: Sequel to The Last Viable Donor. Reid is about to learn that life is what happens when you're not looking. A REIDEMILY Pairing
1. Chapter 1

_**Disclaimer: see my profile**_

_**A/n hey all, here's the first chapter of my sequel to "The Last Viable Donor." Please enjoy and thanks to my great beta for all her help. **_

"Honey... Don't get up. I'll get him." Emily put a hand on Reid's shoulder.

"No… You were up with him at two am. It's my turn. You have a big day today. I want you to rest and enjoy it fully."

He rolled over and reached for the lamp on one of the two matching night tables on either side of their bed. The light that flooded the room was dim was the lampshade was a heavy cream material. The lamps were squat, round, and painted light blue. He squinted a bit against the low light as he got up and pulled on the robe he'd thrown over a wooden chair that stood in one corner of the room.

"It's only six am Spencer…" Emily tried again.

"I know… Go back to sleep." His voice was husky from disuse and she shivered.

His long, lanky body, that she'd only see fully unclothed once, had a strength that wasn't readily apparent unless you took the time to look beyond the obvious. His face had been sculpted by a talented angel that knew looks are deceiving. Add to it the brilliant mind, and wavy golden brown locks, and you had an amazing combination.

"Just because the girls are dragging me away for a shopping day, doesn't mean you have to go all "Mr. Mom" on me." She tried again while watching him tie the belt on his old, raggedy brown robe.

"I want you to have the whole day to relax. I'll get him this time. Go back to sleep."

"Okay, but one day your puppy eyes won't get you what you want."

"Hasn't happened yet." He winked at her.

"Cute," She tossed a pillow at him as he left the room.

The baby's room was dark except for the small night light at one end of the room. The baby monitor threw a little glow into the room that illuminated the dresser and changing table. Reid turned on the light and went to the crib.

"Hey little man… It's too early for all this fuss."

Aaron cried as though someone was running him through with stick pins. Reid lifted him out of the crib and paced around the room a bit, rocking the baby gently.

Aaron proclaimed his displeasure at this course of action. "Hm… I think someone might be hungry."

The light was still glowing next to their bed and Emily was sitting propped up on her pillows.

"I think he's hungry."

"I told you to let me get him." She gently scolded.

"I know… I just wanted to hold him."

He could make her cry at the most surprising times. Despite all they'd seen and done at the Bureau, in many ways he was as innocent and guileless as the child in his arms.

He gave her Aaron and lay down on their king-size bed to watch her feed the baby. She shifted her tee shirt that said, "World's Hottest Mommy." Reid had bought it for her from one of those novelty stores at the mall. She refused to wear it anywhere but bed.

Aaron immediately latched on to her breast and suckled with great enthusiasm. One of his tiny hands reached up and rested against the side of her breast. It was a gentle, innocent touch that made Reid's eyes tear up.

"Hey… What are you thinking?"

"That I have the most beautiful family in the world. Thank you for picking me Emily."

"I didn't pick you, Sophie did," She teased.

"Really?"

"You're so easy to tease Spencer Reid."

He made a very rude gesture at her and she laughed quietly. "Seriously though, I made a list and when it came time to decide, Sophie walked out of the room and left it up to me."

"Smart cat!"

"_Smart-ass_ cat is more like it."

They sat looking at each other in the low light of the room as the blackness out the window turned to a deep purple with the coming of morning.

"What's it like?" He asked suddenly.

"What's what like?"

"That," He pointed at the nursing baby. "What's it like to nurse him?"

"I can't describe it." She said looking down at the dark wavy hair that was so like Spencer's locks, except for the color which matched hers.

"Try," He asked again.

"It's primal I guess. Women always say that they can do anything a man can do and I believe that, but this is something you can't do."

"So you're saying it makes you feel powerful."

"I guess, but like nurturing, not overpowering - does that make sense?"

"Yeah… I guess it does. I wish I could fee like that."

"It's not a contest Spencer. You have other gifts that Aaron needs. You have compassion that I don't have even though I try so hard to have it."

"That's not true!" He argued.

"Yes it is… You're brave, resourceful, and you can make intuitive leaps in cases that none of us ever see coming. That's going to come in very handy with Aaron when he's older if you can see him objectively.

"We only have a few years with him and then he'll be out in the world. We have to prepare him for that," Reid said as he reached out and touched the top of Aaron's head. "Help me with him Emily. I don't want to be like my dad."

"You won't," She assured him.

"If I ever get stupid and decide to leave, promise me you'll call Garcia."

Emily began to chuckle softly so as not to disturb the suckling baby. "Why her?"

"Because she'll erase my existence and I'll have to come back to get her to restore it."

"Well that's weird logic that makes sense in a very strange way. Still, I don't want you back if the only reason you come back is to have your life un-erased.

"You know I love you," Reid said.

"Then there's no reason for you to leave."

He opened his mouth and then shut it again. Then he opened it again. "Okay, but if I did leave -"

She reached out her free hand and put it over his mouth. "Shut up Spencer."

Aaron was nearly asleep when he'd eaten his fill. Spencer took him and walked back to the nursery after Emily burped him. Reid took him over to Emily's rocker glider and sat down.

The baby was down for the count in a matter of minutes after Reid began to rock him. His little face was calm and relaxed except for his little mouth that made small sucking movements.

_Did babies dream? _

He'd read somewhere that they did. He'd also read a study that said they weren't capable of dreaming before the first year.

_If they dreamed, what would it be about? Did they dream about eating, or about sleeping in the womb where is was warm, wet and dark? Did they dream about their parents? He wished he could ask his little man. _

"Hey…"

He looked up to see Emily standing there in her robe. "You've been in here for awhile. Come back to bed."

"I can't… He's so beautiful. I can't fully believe that he belongs to us. I'm in complete awe of him."

"Oh… he belongs to us." She came into the room and stood next to the glider. She put a hand on Aaron's head. "I see you every time I look at him. It's thanks to you that we have him."

"We did this together." He corrected her.

"Yeah…" Emily softly stroked the dark wavy hair on the top of Aarons head.

"I'll put him down." Reid yawned.

He stood slowly, careful not to jostle his son. The little guy slept on as he put him in the cradle and adjusted his blue and white starburst pattern blanket. Every time he had to relinquish his son to someone else or his crib, it hurt his heart a little.

He adjusted the volume on the baby monitor even though it was the perfect level.

"Stop fussing around Spencer."

He took her hand and went back to their bedroom.

"He adores you." Emily said as they took of their robes and got into bed.

Reid snuggled up close to Emily. She wrapped her arms around him and put her head on his shoulder.

"I adore both of you." She whispered, making the hair stand up on his arms.

"I love you so much." He said.

She kissed him.

"Are you sure we have to wait another two months." He asked when she let them come up for air.

"Don't pout…"

"I'm not pouting!"

"Yes you are. Trust me! The very minute I get the go ahead from my doctor I'm going to…"

She whispered in his ear and his heart rate skyrocketed. "Really?"

"Oh yeah… I can't wait to try it out with you."

Reid pulled out of her arms and left the bed.

"Where are you going?"

"I need a very cold shower."

---

Helga had arrived by the time Emily came down the stairs. She had been lured down by the smell of her favorite chocolate chip pancakes.

A round wooden table ruled the kitchen from it's center position. Morgan had redone the cabinets from the same type of wood as the table, which was oak. They'd been left unstained and all the appliances were stainless steel. The tiles on the floor were blue-green and matched the paint on the walls.

"How is my Liebchen?" Helga asked her when she came into the room.

"Which one?"

"Both of zem," Helga said as she flipped over the first of the pancakes. Them she turned her attention to some fresh ground sausages she'd molded into patties.

"They're fine. Aaron is sleeping. Spencer is getting dressed."

"Ah gutt… He needs some of zis gutt food. He is still too skinny."

Emily was biting her bottom lip to keep from laughing when Reid walked into the kitchen.

"Dr Reid?" Helga exclaimed.

She pushed him down into the chair across from Emily. "Sit! I vill make you a plate when ze sausages are ready, ja?"

Emily snickered into her dark blue coffee mug.

"Make her stop!" Reid mouthed at her.

"I can't," She whispered back.

"Emily!"

"There you go Liebchen." Helga placed a plate full of pancakes, sausage patties, and scrambled eggs in front of him. "Eat!" She ordered him.

"Yeah Spencer, eat!"

"Shut up!"

She grinned at him and buttered a biscuit fresh from the oven.

"You like the pancakes, ja?" Helga was hovering over Reid again.

"Yes ma'am."

Helga beamed at him and ruffled his hair.

He glared at her once her back was turned.

Emily laughed and then choked on the biscuit.

"Stop it!" Reid hissed.

Helga set a plate down in front of Emily and patted her shoulder. "Ze sausage was too spicy." She indicated Emily's plate, which had pancakes and eggs, but no meat. "Ze tiny Liebchen must not get a sick tummy."

It was Reid's turn to smirk when Helga's back was turned

Sophie ran into the room at that moment and began rubbing up against Emily's leg.

"Oh zat cat is back begging." Helga clucked.

Sophie hissed at her and hid under the table.

Emily giggled while Reid fed the cat scrapes every time Helga's back was turned.

When they had finished the feast that Helga called breakfast Reid thanked her. "You're welcome Liebchen. I vill clean up and let you know when Ms. Garcia comes."

"You don't have to do that Helga. It's supposed to be your day off."

"I vill leave when Ms Garcia comes." She repeated.

Reid escaped as soon as he could with Sophie hot on his heels. They made their way upstairs together and found Emily in the bedroom.

"Are you sure we have to keep her." He asked

"Spencer Reid!"

Reid perched on the edge of the bed. Sophie jumped into his lap. "She agrees with me." Reid said, scratching the cat behind his ears.

Emily pulled off the tee shirt she'd been wearing to sleep. Reid stopped scratching the cat's ears to stare at her bare chest.

"Spencer!"

"What?"

"Stop drooling and cool your jets, or you'll need another cold shower."

"Not funny Emily."

"Yes it was. You should see your face." She threw her shirt at him and went into the en-suite.

"Your owner isn't funny at all." Reid said to Sophie.

The cat only looked at him.

---

Emily had just finished dressing Aaron in a white onsie with little puppies sleeping on the front when Reid walked into the nursery.

"You look so handsome" She cooed. "Just like daddy."

"I don't wear puppies on my clothes."

He kissed her fore head and then leaned in to kiss Aaron's head.

"No you don't, thank God." She said. "Aaron still doesn't like his bath very much."

"No… but Dr. Johnson said he'll appreciate it in a few weeks. Won't you little man?"

She picked up Aaron and followed Reid into their bedroom. The doorbell rang and they looked at each other. "She's here!"


	2. Chapter 2

_**Disclaimer:**_

_**A/n hey all, here's the next update. Thanks to you all for your kind feed back. Please enjoy!**_

The doorbell rang and they looked at each other. "She's here!" Reid said.

"Come on… We are FBI agents. There's nothing to be afraid of," Emily said. She headed back to the nursery and put Aaron back in his crib.

"Says you… This is Garcia we're talking about." Spencer followed her.

"True…" She left the nursery with an air of someone on his or her way to the scaffold. "You go first." she waited for him to pass her in the hallway.

"Why me?" He hissed as he preceded her to the top of the stairs.

The stairs looked like a long way down that morning. Their risers, made from the same hard wood as the floors, looked like they might swallow him whole.

"Because you're her 'sweet pea,' I 'm hoping she forgets about me once she spots you." She prodded him a bit when he didn't move.

"That's not funny!"

"I just had a baby… I'm not ready for one of her patented bear hugs." Emily complained in a low voice.

They reluctantly started down the stairs. Suddenly, it didn't seem like there were enough stairs between them and their flamboyant friend.

"So I'm supposed to take one for you." He whispered as they made it to the middle of the staircase without injury or the world opening under their feet.

"Thank you baby… I knew I could count on you."

"What happened to the liberated, kick-ass, FBI agent/profiler I fell in love with," He hissed as they made it to the bottom of the stairs.

"Again, this is Garcia," she said.

Helga was at the door talking happily with the computer tech.

"… It was so cute. He looks yust like ze Dr. Reid." Helga gushed enthusiastically.

"Speak of the devil." Garcia said, noticing Reid, who was attempting to be invisible.

He waved at her. She hurried over and hugged him tight enough to crack ribs.

"Can't breathe," he gasped.

"You're exaggerating again." Garcia scolded him.

She smelled like roses today. She had pulled her blond curls back in a high ponytail. There was a blood red carnation next to her left ear that matched the frames of her glasses and the red of her lipstick. Her blouse was scarlet with a scoop neck that showed considerable cleavage. A sunny yellow skirt flared out around her knees and her purse matched the skirt. Her shoes were low-heeled red pumps that matched the bracelets on her arms.

"I'm not exaggerating," Reid was complaining. "I may have to see a doctor." He grumbled as Garcia greeted Emily with a markedly less enthusiastic hug. "Why do I get my ribs cracked," he demanded holding his side. "And she gets the 'kid glove' treatment?

"Because she just had a baby," Garcia pointed out as though he were barely bright enough to understand English.

"So!"

"So… She pushed my little sweet pea, whose about the size of a small watermelon, out of an opening the size of an orange."

Reid opened his mouth, shut it, looked at Emily, then at Garcia and decided that his life wasn't worth arguing.

"Don't pout Spencer."

He glared at Emily while the two women laughed at him.

"You're going to hold that over me for the rest of my life, aren't you?"

"No, I'm saving that and fifteen hours of labor for when Aaron's a teenager and he does something really hair-brained."

"Speaking of the handsome little guy - where is he?"

"He's upstairs waiting for his Aunt Penelope. I'll go get him."

"Seriously… How are you?" Garcia asked when Emily had gone upstairs.

"I'm great!'

"People tend to forget about Dad once the baby's born. So I wanted to make sure you're okay."

Reid walked with her to the living room. The room had changed a lot in the weeks since they'd moved in. It was minus his old ratty chair and couch. The area rug was in their room and the wood floors gleamed in the sunlight that streamed in the windows.

It was strange that he didn't miss his stuff at all. It was as if his old life had vanished and he had been reborn into this one with Aaron.

"I'm really good. It's just… I don't know how to describe it. It's strange to be here with Emily. Then there are times I feel like we've been together our whole lives. Its like I'm in the middle of this wonderful dream and I'm afraid to wake up."

"Have you told Emily?" Garcia had gone to one of the windows that Helga had cracked a bit to let in some morning air and sunshine she said was good for them all.

Reid felt his cheeks getting hot, so he looked down at his hands. "No," he said softly.

"Why not sweetie?"

He rubbed one hand along the edge of his jaw. _Why hadn't he told Emily of the anxieties that had plagued him for the last few weeks?"_

"I don't want to hurt her or make her worry."

"Honey, she's going to be more hurt and worried if you don't confide in her."

Footsteps on the staircase had Reid leaping to his feet. Garcia wanted to laugh at him for the incredibly guilty look on his face. He rallied though, and was smiling by the time Emily walked in with Aaron in her arms.

"There he is! My handsome little baby G-man"

Garcia leaped up and hurried over to take Aaron from his mother. Aaron began to cry the minute Garcia lifted him out of Emily's arms.

"He really likes it when you sort of rock him like -"

"Shh…" Garcia hushed Reid in the middle of his explanation. "He and I are going to be great friends. Aren't we baby?"

She began to rock him gently in an up and down motion while walking up and down the length of the room. Aaron gradually calmed down while Garcia walked around with him. He stayed awake while she cooed at him.

Reid and Emily looked at each other.

"See… I told you we'd be great friends." Garcia bragged. "What a cute little outfit. Where did you get it Emily?"

Reid watched the two grown women cooing over his son as though he weren't there.

That feeling of unreality washed over him again. Emily was a very self-contained woman that didn't show her emotions. When he'd first met her, he was in awe of compartmentalization skills. He'd often wished, since then, for that ability. He knew that most of the time, he wore his emotions on his sleeve and all over his face. It bothered him and he thought it gave others an unfair advantage over him.

Now Emily had begun to be more open in showing her emotions and no one seemed to take advantage of her. Maybe it was in the eyes. After all, she was a kick-ass FBI agent. He never mastered the look that said 'don't mess with me,' like Hotch, Morgan, or even JJ. Maybe he could practice in front of the mirror.

"What are you thinking?" Emily said.

She sat down next to him on the couch and squeezed one of his hands in hers.

"It's nothing."

"Are you sure?"

He glanced up at Garcia, but she was busy cooing over the baby, who'd gone back to sleep.

"I'll tell you later. You have a big day of shopping and relaxing with the girls."

"Spencer…"

"I'll tell you about it later."

Her brow furrowed, "Okay…"

Emily and Garcia were leaving the house ten minutes later. Helga had left, assuring Emily that 'zer was plenty to eat if ze doctor should get hungry."

"Yeah, she probably left enough food to feed a small third world country." He grumbled.

Emily laughed, but he could tell she was worried over leaving him there alone for the first time with Aaron.

"Come on angelfish." Garcia tugged on her elbow.

"Maybe I shouldn't go. What if something happens?" Emily had gone from laughter to actually wringing her hands.

"Reid can take care of him. They'll be totally fine together. Won't you sweet cheeks?" Garcia nodded encouragingly at him.

"Yeah… We'll be fine." He agreed. "No problem."

_Why was his heart beating so fast then? _

"Okay, so you have all our cell numbers!"

"Yes he does," Garcia gently pushed Emily toward the door. "We're going to be late. JJ and Mai are waiting for us at the mall."

"Oh…" Tears filled up her eyes. She went back to Reid and leaned over to kiss Aaron who was asleep in his arms.

"It'll be okay." Reid repeated. "We're going to have lots of fun."

"Alright… I'm okay." She wiped away the tears that had started and took a deep wavering breath. "So, I pumped this morning. There's milk for Aaron in the fridge and -"

"Emily!"

"Okay! Let's go."

They left in a cloud of roses that surrounded Garcia. Emily had put on some kind of flowery perfume to go with the pink sweater and blue jeans she wore.

"Okay little man… It's just you and me."

He took Aaron to the baby swing that stood next to Reid's easy chair. Emily had bought it as a gift after throwing out his old ratty chair and couch.

It was dark chocolate brown leather that reclined all the way back. She said it was for him to sack out in after a hard day catching crazies.

He put Aaron in the swing and started it moving in a gentle swinging motion the baby loved. Aaron didn't flinch so Reid figured he might be able to catch up on some reading he had missed in the last few weeks. He only had two more weeks of paternity leave left and he wanted to take advantage of his free time when Aaron was asleep.

His bookshelf had been moved in from his apartment. It stood next to the one that had come from Emily's brownstone. They were both crammed to the hilt with books and they covered nearly all of one wall. He went over to pick out a book, savoring the chance to read for a good long while.

The only thing he could hear was the gentle clicking motion of the swing and an occasional little sound from Aaron. In fact, it was a little too quiet. Maybe if he turned on the radio for a little background noise.

No, he couldn't turn on the radio as it might disturb the baby.

_A little silence never hurt anyone!_

Then why were his hands suddenly damp?

He put down the book he'd been trying to read and looked over at the swing. It was still swaying gently back and forth. Aaron sure was quiet. Was the baby okay? His heart went into his chest. Aaron was awful quiet… Reid held his breath as he got up to go over to the swing. Aaron looked like he was just sleeping, but Reid couldn't see the rise and fall of his chest. He forgot to breathe at all and was getting very light-headed when Aaron twitched and moved his head to one side. Reid exhaled explosively. The baby was breathing and had been breathing all along. The tiny movement of his chest was hard to see, Reid reminded himself. He'd thought he'd gotten over worrying about whether the baby was breathing when he slept.

He dropped down on the couch as if shot. The relief was so great his stomach got queasy.

_Don't tell Emily! _

_Good idea… If she thinks you can't handle the baby on your own…_

He reached over to adjust the blanket around Aaron. The baby didn't move. He was down for the count.

Reid decided to go back to his chair and his book. Everything was going to be okay. The silence, but for the baby's swing squeaking began to descend around him once again. He turned to the next page in his book and continued to read. Twenty minutes passed. It seemed like hours had gone by in the silence that pressed in on his ears like a living thing.

He looked at the clock on the wall again five minutes later. He looked over at the couch and almost yelped when Sophie jumped up on the arm of the couch.

"Je-I mean Geez… Where did you come from?"

She ignored him and stretched out her neck delicately to sniff at Aaron's swing chair. One paw batted at the metal arm anchoring the swing.

"Sophie…"

The cat meowed and leaped down to the floor with all the grace inherent to cats that Reid wished he had.

She hurried over to him and jumped into his lap. He began stroking her head. Her purring filled the room as Aaron's swing chair came to a stop.

"What do you think of Aaron?" Reid asked Sophie.

She looked up at him with eyes that were keeping their secrets from everyone.

Sophie had been fine with Aaron. If she were jealous, she took it out on Spencer. Mostly she would sniff the baby if he were in his carrier or in Emily's arms. Sophie seemed to find the baby interesting, not an interloper.

"So you're not talking." He said to her while scratching behind her ears.

She purred on like a little lawn mower.

"Alright… You don't have to tell me."

Sophie's eyes were closing when Aaron began to cry. Actually, it was more like screaming. Reid jumped as though high voltage electricity had touched his backside. Sophie hissed, jumped out of his lap, and ran out of the room.

"Great… Leave when it gets tough!"

He hurried to the swing. Aaron was going red in the face and his little hands were curled into tiny fists he waved around in the air.

"Okay little man…" Reid swallowed hard and picked up the angry infant. "They don't think we can handle it alone. Let's show them we can!"


	3. Chapter 3

_**Disclaimer: see my profile**_

"Okay little man…" Reid swallowed hard and picked up the angry infant. "They don't think we can handle it alone. Let's show them we can!"

Aaron twisted around and kicked his legs at Reid's less than confident assurances.

"Um… It's okay Aaron. Daddy's right here."

_Oh, man… What to do? Emily knew which cry meant what, much better than he did. He'd been depending on her way too much. _

_You are on your own, sport! _

"It's okay… Daddy can do this. I promise you."

It was as though Aaron sensed fear like a shark smells blood in the water. He screamed as if someone was killing him. Picking up the baby didn't seem to help, so Reid put him back in the swing.

Emily had said that he'd find a bottle of milk in the fridge. He very nearly ran into the kitchen and yanked open the door of the refrigerator. Yes! There it was, next to a squeeze bottle of ketchup in the door.

"It's okay…" Reid called out to Aaron. "Daddy has something very good for you."

Aaron's beet red face screwed up as if he smelled something bad when Reid rushed back into the living room.

"Here's some good milk. Mommy left it just for you."

Reid found himself almost begging the tiny boy to be happy. Aaron didn't seem to be in the mood for words so Reid picked him up and held the bottle to his little mouth.

Aaron pushed it away with his tongue after just one suck.

"Come on little guy, it's good for you."

He tried again to feed the baby. Aaron pushed the nipple away and shook his head back and forth, avoiding the bottle when Reid tried a third time.

A sudden realization made him want to smack his own forehead in frustration. The milk was ice cold.

"I forgot to warm it! Is that what's wrong?"

Aaron just cried, his face going nearly purple.

Reid put him back in the swing and hurried back to the kitchen and the microwave.

"What did the book say about babies and bottles?" He closed his eyes and tried to think over Aarons' loud wails

The baby's cries made rational thought impossible. He couldn't remember what the book said. "Come on...You've talked psychopaths down from killing you. You've killed twice to save your life and the lives of others. You've stood up in front of a classroom full of college kids more than once and survived. You can handle a ten-pound infant.

Aaron's angry screams seemed to prove otherwise. The microwave beeped and he yanked the bottle out as if it was the answer to the meaning of life. Something niggled again at his brain. He remembered just in time to test the temperature of the bottle.

"Right… Test it on the inside of your wrist!"

He turned the bottle over and let it drip on his skin. Too hot! Should he let it cool or add some cold water from the faucet. No, better to let it cool down.

He looked at the doorway to the living room. Suddenly the thought of crossing into that room was more terrifying than facing ten gun-toting psychos.

Reid hesitated for several more seconds before the squalling infant's misery got to him. It wasn't Aaron's fault his Daddy didn't know how to heat a bottle.

"It's okay little man." He approached the crying baby as if he was a bomb about to go off. "We just have to wait a little for the bottle to cool."

Aaron screamed as Reid picked him up. He attempted to rock the infant as he'd seen Garcia do, but it didn't help.

"If you stop crying, Daddy will do a really neat magic trick for you."

This didn't impress the angry infant at all. The volume of his screams increased which Reid didn't think was possible. Apparently, bribing or reasoning with a four-week-old baby wasn't going to work.

_Of course, not - he's a baby!_

He remembered what JJ had said one morning about walking the floor all night with Henry. Nothing had calmed him she'd said. Reid remembered thinking, "Thank God that's not me."

_Well, it was he now so he had better deal with it. _

He took Aaron to the kitchen and tried the bottle again. At first, Aaron pushed the nipple away.

"Please… This is milk from mommy. It has lots of good stuff to make you healthy and strong!"

The baby looked up at him and his large brown eyes that were the same as Reid's, looked very accusatory to his father. It was the first time that the baby had ever made eye contact for such an extended period and Reid felt the stress drain away for a second.

_He looks angry. Is that what I look like when I'm mad? _

Reason returned and he shook his head as he offered the bottle to the baby once more. He was losing his mind over a little baby-sitting stress. _Was that even a term? _

Aaron finally decided to take the bottle and emptied it at a speed that was amazing to Reid. "See Daddy said you'd like it."

_Don't push it, "Daddy." _

He set the empty bottle in the sink and dropped down in one of the kitchen chairs. Sweat was pouring off his forehead and sliding down his back. He felt like he'd run ten miles.

The silence that had been so creepy an hour ago was a blessed thing now. He swore to himself that he would never complain about quiet again.

"Now… Let's see if we can get a nice burp from you."

Reid put the baby over his shoulder as he'd seen Emily do and patted him gently on the back.

"See… You and I are going to get along just fine."

Aaron responded with a gurgle and a small burp. Something warm and wet seeped into Reid's shirt as he shifted the baby. Aaron had white liquid that smelled like sour - well sour something on his chin and mouth.

"Oh… Um…-okay Mommy said that spit up can happen. We'll just get you cleaned up."

He reached over and pulled the towel that hung on the oven door handle into one hand. Aaron submitted to having his face wiped clean. There was nothing Reid could do about his old Harvard tee shirt though.

"We'll just put it in the wash and keep it between you and me." He told the infant, who was staring at him again. "Morgan never has to know about any of this."

Aaron just looked at him, but at least he wasn't screaming as if someone was pinching him black and blue.

"Daddy will put you back in the swing and read you a story."

Aaron didn't seem to object to this course of action so Reid took him back to the living room and laid him carefully in the swing. He left it stationary and went to the bookshelves.

"Now… What should we read?"

He went up and down the floor a few times, rubbing the side of his jaw while looking at the books. He noticed a new book in Emily's bookshelf.

"Winnie the Pooh."

He remembered Winnie the Pooh from when he was a little child. His mother had said that all literature was good for children.

"Should we read this?"

Reid went back to the swing, found that Aaron was still awake, and still quiet which was a plus.

He also found Sophie sitting up on the arm of the couch again. She looked at him and swished her tail.

"Okay, A.A Milne for all three of us."

When the story about Pooh getting his head stuck in a honey jar was over, Aaron was asleep. Sophie was sitting in his lap and he was hungry. It was two hours passed lunchtime and his stomach was growling. Perhaps he could make a quick sandwich before Aaron woke again.

Then his phone rang. The opening bars to "I'm too sexy," played, waking up Aaron. The baby began screaming while Reid shoved one finger in his ear and answered the phone.

"What?" He yelled.

"Hey man… Just checking to see how you're doing all by yourself."

"It was fine till you called."

"Is that Aaron?"

"No… it's Sophie!"

"You can get really sarcastic when you're pissed."

"Oh really… I'm hanging up now Morgan."

He hung up on his friend, turned the phone off, and hurried to the swing. It was as if someone had pushed replay on the afternoon. The red-faced baby wailed and Sophie leaped down from the couch and ran out of the room.

"It's okay little man… That inconsiderate old Morgan won't bother us again because I turned off my phone."

Aaron wailed and Reid paced the room. He noticed that something didn't smell just right. "I think someone needs a diaper change."

That was good. He could handle a diaper change. He'd done that several times since the baby had been born.

"No problem, Daddy can handle this."

He took the baby upstairs to his nursery and put him on the changing table. Aaron twisted and writhed on the table while Reid grabbed a diaper. He tried to keep one hand on the baby so he wouldn't roll off the table and get the wipes at the same time.

Luckily, the outfit Aaron wore was one piece that was easy to undo. Aaron cried louder and louder as though needles were being run through him, while Reid removed the soiled diaper.

"Wow… that's a rank one Master Reid!"

Aaron screamed and kicked. Reid pulled one of the wipes from the container and turned back just in time for his son to let loose with a little stream of urine that got Reid right in the face.

"Oh… man!"

Well, Emily had warned him. She said boys will be boys and you had to be fast with the diaper changes. He should have been more careful.

The baby stopped crying only when Reid got a new diaper on him and his clothes back on. The resulting quiet was like heaven once again. Perhaps if he just held onto the baby this time. He looked down at Aaron who still had traces of little tears on his face and his heart went out to him. The baby had to be missing his mother and he supposed he was a poor substitute for her.

"Let's go back downstairs. Mommy will be home in a couple of hours and she'll be very happy to see you."

Aaron was closing his eyes again, so Reid held him to one shoulder as they went down the stairs and back into the living room.

"We'll read another story about Pooh and take a rest. How about that?"

---

Emily opened the door and stepped into the entryway outside the living room. She dropped her keys and purse on the small table to the left side of the entryway. The claw-footed table had been stained a deep mahogany. Reid had found it at some flea market three weeks ago and had it fixed and re-stained. It had a vase of yellow daises in the middle and a round mirror hung over it. She looked in the mirror and fixed her hair that had been blown around by her ride in Esther.

"Spencer!"

The house was so quiet. He did not answer so she took a couple steps to the living room. She looked around the corner and smiled. He was lying on the couch with Aaron on his chest. One arm held the little boy in place and they both looked dead to the world. Except for one book on the coffee table, everything looked fine.

She let out a breath that she had not realized she was holding. _Did she expect to come home and find the house burned down?_

She went to the couch and leaned down to kiss Reid on the cheek. He jerked awake and blinked up at her.

"Hey… How did it go? You two look like you had a great time."

Reid looked down at his little man and decided that he'd keep quiet about the afternoon. She wouldn't want to leave him alone with the baby again, if she knew the trouble he'd had.

"We had fun." He looked up hoping that her profiler's eyes wouldn't see the exaggeration in his face. "It was no problem."

"Why don't I take him upstairs?"

She lifted and shifted the baby into her arms without waking him. _How did she do that?_

"I'll be right back and you can tell me all about it!"


	4. Chapter 4

_**Disclaimer: see my profile**_

_**A/n here's the next chapter for my loyal readers. Thank you all for your kind comments. **_

Emily climbed the stairs very slowly. They creaked a bit under her weight. Aaron shifted a bit in her arms as she gained the second floor. She looked down at him and he was awake looking up at her with his father's eyes.

"Hello little man."

Aaron kicked his legs and seemed to smile at her.

"Did you have a good day with daddy?"

Emily opened the door to Aaron's nursery. A tiny bit of yellow sunshine came in around the drawn blinds from the late fall sun. She crossed to the glider rocker in the corner and sat down.

"I wish you could tell me all about your day."

Aaron stared up at her and she could swear that his eyes were a direct portal to Spencer. That somehow, her lover could see what was happening by looking out through the eyes of her son.

"But that's not possible is it baby," She asked the little guy.

His eyes were beginning to close as she rocked slowly in the chair. One of his hands closed around her finger and held it tightly as though he were afraid she'd go away again.

"It's not that I don't think daddy can take care of you. It's just that I know he's been preoccupied for a few days."

Aaron's little chest rose and fell shallowly as he slept. His hair had rubbed off a bit in the back, but the front was still as wavy as his father's was even if it was the same shade of brown as her hair.

"I love daddy very much. I love you very much. I want us to be happy all the time. I know that's not possible but I want it to happen."

Aaron shifted a bit in her arms. She stood up and took him to his crib. He didn't move as she put him down and tugged at the dark green knitted blanket that Garcia had made for him.

"Sleep well little man. Mommy has to go down stairs and talk to Daddy. Don't worry it's going to be alright."

She crossed to her room and picked up the baby monitor that always stood on the night table next to Spencer's side of the bed.

"It's time to find out what's been bothering you."

---

Reid put the "Winnie the Pooh," storybook back on the shelf where he'd found it. The room was perfectly quiet again and it spooked him for different reasons.

He looked over at the swing his son loved and thought about the day. Emily was going to come back down here at anytime. She'd want to know how things had gone for him. He couldn't tell her the truth. She'd never want to leave him alone with Aaron ever again. He couldn't say that he blamed her. He hadn't done very well taking care of the baby.

He had all the knowledge he gained from books, but in practice, it was completely different. It was like most other things he'd read about, but never put into practice. It had been harder than trying to learn to shoot a gun with Hotch. He didn't think anything could be more difficult than learning to shoot.

He went back to his easy chair and looked at the book he'd been reading before Aaron had started to cry. If he picked it up and began reading, he'd look normal and maybe Emily wouldn't question him too closely.

Footsteps descended the stairs so he opened up to a random page and began to read.

"Hey Spencer…"

Her tone was very light. She sat down in the couch, facing him from across the coffee table.

"Hi!"

"So, how did it go?"

"It was fine."

"Spencer."

He put the book aside and looked at the hardwood floor under his feet.

"Talk to me."

"It was an unparalleled disaster. I forgot to heat his bottle and then I almost scalded him. He peed on me when I changed him. He cried nearly the whole time you were gone. I think he just wanted you and I was the one he got instead."

"Hey… You did pretty well by my estimation. He was happy and dry and fed when I got home. He was sleeping peacefully. It looks like you didn't burn the house down."

Reid looked up and his dark eyes reminded her of the time Cyrus had nearly beaten her to a pulp. Her attempt at humor was falling flat.

"Look Spencer… He could have behaved the same way with me, if it had been you going out with your friends."

Something flashed in Reid's eyes but she ignored it. "Just because I'm his mother doesn't mean I'm an expert. I have lots of moments when I think that I wish he'd come with an instruction book."

"But -"

"The thing to remember is that it's only going to get more difficult instead of easier. My God Spencer, he's alive, well and happy. You didn't do anything to hurt him or make him unhappy. "

"Why did he cry so much? He must've been really unhappy."

"My mother told me once that sometimes babies just need to cry."

Something else lit up his eyes. "Yeah… I just remembered that I read that in a book. I guess I didn't think about that."

"I know… Spencer you can't learn everything from books. Sometimes you just have to wing it."

"I'm afraid I'm going to mess it up. I don't want to screw him up."

"You're not going to do that." She went to the easy chair and slipped into his lap. "You're not going to mess it up. I believe in you. You have to start believing in yourself. You have so many talents and gifts. I know you love our little boy as much as I do. Trust in that and you'll do fine."

"How did you get so wise about everything?"

"I've been watching you for the last three years."

He kissed her.

"Hey… I better get up before things get out of hand."

She climbed out of his lap and left him pouting. "Do we really have to wait? "

"Don't worry; the next couple of months are going to fly."

He rolled his eyes. "I doubt that."

"You'll be surprised."

He shifted in the chair and crossed his legs. "I'm glad Morgan isn't here."

She laughed. "Don't worry I won't tell him."

"Thanks a lot."

"Come on… Let's go see what's in the kitchen for dinner."

"Are you going to tell me about what you did with the girls?"

"Can't, what happens on a girls' day out, stays on a girls' day out."

Reid followed her into the kitchen. He went to the fridge and began pulling containers out. "So in other words, you were talking about men and sex."

Her face went hot so she poked her face into the cabinets above the stove. "No… That's not what we talked about."

He opened a container. "Jack pot… Don't lie Emily… I know what women talk about."

"Oh you do, do you."

"Yeah…"

"So men don't ever talk about women, sex or anything the least bit interesting?"

Reid pulled a knife from the block and cut into the left over casserole that Helga had made last night. It was chicken and something he couldn't identify, but it was good.

"Do you want some of this?" He asked Emily who was putting drinking glasses on the table.

"Don't change the subject. Yeah… I'll have some of that."

"I wasn't changing the subject. Men talk about all that stuff, or at least Morgan does. I just listen."

"Sure you do."

"I do!"

He popped two servings into the microwave as Emily put two plates on the table. She took a couple of candles out of the cabinet and set them on the table.

"Is there any of that salad left?"

"Yeah… Do you want Italian or Ranch?"

He put the left over green salad with hard boiled egg, cheese, olives and onions on the table."

"I _want_ Ranch. I'll have the Italian. I need to take off these last ten pounds from the baby."

Reid put down the two bottles of dressing he held on the table and pulled her into his arms. "You're beautiful just the way you are." He kissed her softly; his lips made little tingles run up and down her back and arms.

"Spencer!"

The microwave beeped so he let her go and tended to the dinner. "Sorry Emily… I just can't help myself.

"You don't have to tell me. You're pretty irresistible yourself."

"Let's eat and talk about something else."

"Smart man," Emily pointed her fork at him.

"I'm not just a pretty face."

"Ha… No you're not."

"You only want me for my mind." He lamented as she dug into her salad.

"Not true," She cut into an egg.

"I thought we were going to talk about something else."

"We are," She popped some chicken and rice into her mouth and chewed.

"Tell me about your day."

She told him about her day shopping with the girls. "Jordan was supposed to be there, but Garcia said that James in Organized Crime asked her out."

"Really," Reid grabbed the last piece of French bread from the basket.

"Yeah… He's pretty cute as I recall."

"Is he?"

"You know what I mean." She tossed a slice of onion out of her salad bowl at him.

"Yeah… You like tall dark and handsome."

"Don't pout… I like them tall lanky and modelesque."

"What does that mean?"

"You know what it means. I keep telling you that you could have a career in modeling if you wanted to."

"And I keep telling you I'd rather be horsewhipped."

"Still, I'm glad she has someone."

Reid began to clear the table while Emily rinsed dishes and loaded the dishwasher. "I thought she'd end up with Morgan. He likes her."

"Morgan isn't the right one for her."

"How do you know?"

"Come on Spencer!"

He put the bottles of dressing back in the door of the refrigerator. "If you're insinuating that I don't understand Morgan's flaws when it comes to women…"

"I'm not saying he's a bad guy. He just doesn't want to settle down. Jordan wants someone to have kids with and marry."

"I know… I just keep thinking that maybe the right girl…"

Emily shut the door of the dishwasher and started the cycle. "Do you realize that we're becoming match makers?"

"Bite your tongue!"

"It's true…"

Aaron began crying through the monitor that was perched on the edge of the nearly tidy table. Emily headed for the door. Reid stepped in front of her as she attempted to leave the kitchen.

"Don't think you got away with distracting me from my problems."

"I wasn't trying to distract you."

"I know; I love you for it."

"Good thing I love you too."

"Are we going to get sloppy?'

"Nope… Aaron needs you."

"And I need you," She kissed him again before heading up the stairs to see what Master Aaron wanted.

"I'll always need you." He whispered after her.


	5. Chapter 5

_**Disclaimer: see my profile**_

_**A/n hey all, here's the next chapter. Once again thanks to all my supporters and my fabulous beta REIDFANATIC. You're the best girl.**_

Spencer turned over to face the other side of the bed the next morning. Emily's side of the bed was empty and it was cold. He sat up and pushed his unruly bangs out of his eyes.

"Emily?"

The room was silent. There was no telltale light under the bathroom door. He looked at the clock and saw that it read six am. Where had she gone?

He threw off the comforter and climbed out of bed. The house seemed suddenly empty, as though its inhabitants had been gone for centuries. The heat suddenly kicked on with a whoosh that made him jump and his heart pound.

The faint, lingering scent of her, hung in the air next to him as if she were a ghost come back to haunt him.

_Why are you thinking that way?_

A sudden coldness seeped into his bones despite the heat that was pouring out of the vent just over his head. The room was nearly black but for a tiny bit of grey light that was beginning to seep into the room around the edges of the blinds and the white muslin curtains.

His feet whispered over the floor to the chair in the far corner of the room, an old wooden chair that had once belonged to his mother. It had been her favorite and had stood in the corner of her room until she'd gone to Bennington.

He pulled his robe off the chair and threw it on. The immediate fear for Emily and for Aaron, that had no source other than the deep realms of his heart where reason is sometimes lost, chilled his entire body. He looked over to the night table next to Emily's side of the bed. The baby monitor wasn't there.

He relaxed just a little bit. She must have heard the baby crying and took it into the nursery with her. He'd find them in the baby's room and everything would be alright.

_Just keep telling yourself that and everything will be fine. _

He forced a slow walk for his feet to take him to the nursery. It was dark except for the low level night light in the corner that featured Mickey Mouse. He looked in on Aaron who was sleeping and kicking his legs at the same time. Emily wasn't in the room or in the glider rocker in the corner.

_She must be downstairs. She probably couldn't sleep._

Still, the nagging feeling that something was very wrong sent his feet hurrying down the stairs to the kitchen first. The room was silent and dark except for the green numbers on the microwave clock. The light from the oven cast a green glow that made the room look like it was under water in the deepest part of the ocean.

"Emily…"

He said it in a whisper instead of shouting like he wanted. There was no need to scare her just because he was spooked for no good reason.

"Emily!"

The living room was empty. The bookshelves and the couch were still in their places. The baby's swing was there too. Why had he thought they wouldn't be there?

He hurried down the hall to the bathroom just off the kitchen. It was small, just a half bath. Emily didn't answer when he knocked tentatively on the door. Everything was black dark, but his eyes saw as well as if it were full day. There was no light under the door. He opened it and found the little room as empty as the rest of the house.

_Where was she? _

The bedroom at the back of the house that they were converting into a room for Helga was completely empty. _Why would she come back here?_

He rushed out to the kitchen again. "Emily!" He was shouting now.

A sound came from the living room. He ran into the room and saw that the monitor was on the end table. Aaron had begun to cry. The front door flew open and snow began to whirl in, drowning out the sound of his son's cries.

"Emily!"

"Are you going to shut the door Spencer? It's too cold for the baby."

He whirled around and saw in the lamplight, that hadn't been on a moment ago, that his mother sat in his easy chair with Aaron in her arms.

"Hurry up and shut the door Spencer. The baby is cold."

"Mom… How did you get here?"

"I've always been here Spencer. I have to help take care of my grandchild."

"Mom… You can't take care of Aaron."

"Why not? I'm better at it than you are. You're letting it snow inside the house."

He looked back at the open door and saw that the snow was covering the hardwood floors of the entryway. Something was sticking up through the white snow. It was something very dark in color.

"Shut the door Spencer. Do as mother tells you!"

He didn't want to walk in that direction. Something was hidden, buried in the snow that he shouldn't see. He stepped toward the door as Aaron cried. God… He wished the baby would stop crying just for a minute.

"Spencer… It's so cold in here. I have to take care of Aaron. You can't do it. A mother knows and so does a grandmother. You have to let me take care of him."

"He has Emily mother," He said over his shoulder as he walked closer to the dark thing under the white snow.

"No Spencer, he doesn't have her. She's gone. It's just you and me now."

"No!"

The thing in the snow fluttered in the wind. It was familiar. He reached down to touch it with fingers that were going numb from the cold.

"Shut the door Spencer!"

The baby cried. "Mama," he heard it cry.

_Aaron can't talk yet!_

"You see, the boy needs a mother." Dianna Reid said from behind him as the baby cried.

He reached down and touched the dark thing on the floor. It was her hair. He knew it would be. The dark curls fell away from her face. Her lips were blue. Her eyes were wide and staring up at him like she was looking right through him to something in eternity.

"Emily… Oh God!"

"Shut the door Spencer!"

"Shut up!"

The baby stopped crying.

"Don't talk to your mother that way Spencer!"

"Emily… Wake up!"

Her face was white, nearly as white as the snow that swirled around the entry way and her face. "Wake up Emily please… Aaron needs you. I need you."

"Shut the door Spencer."

He jumped to his feet and whirled around to see his mother rocking endlessly in Emily's glider. How had it got down here in the living room?

"Shut up mom… Emily's dead! Can't you see that?"

"I can see it." She smiled up at him and held out Aaron. "Shut the door and take care of your son Spencer."

"No…"

"Take care of him Spencer."

"NO!"

"It's your responsibility.

"Spencer!"

"Leave me alone." He backed away from his mother and his son. "I can't," he screamed.

"Spencer!"

"Emily… I'm sorry. I didn't mean for this to happen!"

"Spencer!"

He jerked, blinked and opened his eyes to more bright light. Emily was holding him tightly in her arms. The house was quiet. His heart was pounding so hard he shook all over.

"You're dreaming baby… It's okay."

"You were dead. So was Aaron!" he stuttered over the tears that ran down his cheeks.

"We're not dead Spencer. I'm fine. Aaron's asleep." The baby began to cry right at that moment. "See… He's awake."

She left the bed and hurried into the nursery with Reid following her. "See… He's fine."

She let him pick up the baby because he looked like he'd seen into the mouth of hell. He held the tiny baby close as his son cried at the top of his lungs. "He's hungry…" Reid managed to choke out. "Why don't you feed him? I'll be downstairs."

"Spencer!"

He hurried out of the room and down the hallway to the stairs, turning on all the lights as he went. The house was lit up like the sun by the time he got to the living room. The door to the front of the house was firmly closed. He turned on the porch light and looked outside. It was just beginning to get light and snow was swirling around in the wind that had sprung up overnight.

He rushed back to the living room. His mother wasn't in the easy chair. The glider wasn't in the room. It was up in the nursery just where it was supposed to be. He dropped down on the couch and cried as he hadn't since he was a child and his father had left them.

The minutes passed, but he didn't feel the passage of time. He barely felt the arms of the woman he loved embracing him tightly.

"What's wrong Spencer?

"I don't know… I had such a bad dream." He turned and buried his face in her shoulder.

"Tell me," She stroked his hair.

"I can't," he said.

"You'll feel better."

"It was terrible. I don't want to tell you."

"I promise you'll feel better if you tell it all."

He told her, not leaving out any detail. She tried not to let it show how badly he scared her, but he could see that it did.

"I think we should go to Vegas."

He sat up and wiped his eyes on the back of his hands. "Why?"

"You need to let your mother meet Aaron."

"Dreams aren't literal," he argued with her.

"I know, but I think we need to see her. Let's complete this little family. I think we'd all feel better. Especially you Spencer… This guilt you carry around about her isn't healthy."

"Alright… We'll go."

"Just like that," She said suspiciously.

"Yeah… I have a couple more weeks of leave. Let's go next week."

"Okay… I'll make the arrangements in the morning."

He hugged her close and prayed that his mother would accept the new addition to their family.

"Emily…"

"Yeah…"

"Will you marry me?"


	6. Chapter 6

_**Disclaimer: see my profile**_

_**A/n hi all... Here's your next chapter and Emily's answer.**_

Emily let go of Spencer and pulled away. "What did you just say?" Her heart had taken residence in her throat, while her stomach fluttered as if moths were racing each other for the best corner.

He had gone very red in face and now found his feet more interesting than her face. "Um… Will you marry me?"

"I heard you the first time Spencer."

"So um… What do you think?"

Her head spun around as if she'd just got off a merry go round at the park_. First, a nightmare and now he was proposing, as it was nothing!_

"What do I think?" She slid away from him to the far end of the couch. "Are you serious?"

"Well… um yeah… I love you Emily. I want us to be a family."

His large dark eyes moved to her face. There was sincerity in them, so this had to be real.

"Spencer… When I said we should be a family this wasn't what I meant."

"Oh… Um, I'm sorry. I'll just go upstairs."

He moved like an old man getting up from the couch. His shoulders slumped and he'd lost the light that made him look like an angel fallen from heaven.

"Spencer…"

She blocked his way out of the living room. "I'm not trying to hurt your feelings. You just surprised me. We've had a stressful night. I just think we should slow down."

"I'm sorry…"

"I know," She pulled him back into her arms. "We just decided that we need to add your mom to our family. We don't have to talk about getting married yet."

"So you don't want to marry me."

"Don't put words in my mouth Spencer."

He pulled away at her irritated tone. "I just want to be with you always."

"You will," She pulled him gently out of the living room to the stairs. "It's still early. Let's go back upstairs. I want to talk to you and it's too cold down here."

It was very warm in the living room, but she wanted her comfortable bed until the sun came up.

"Okay." He agreed. "I want to go see Aaron first."

She stopped on the stairs. He looked at her. She nodded because there was something in his dark eyes that made her heart hurt.

They went back upstairs. Reid headed for Aaron's room. Emily didn't stop him. She went back to bed and turned off the baby monitor. Whatever he wanted to say to the baby was private.

---

"Hey little man…" He said softly to the sleeping baby.

Aaron's face was just getting visible in the early morning light. The milky smell of baby permeated the room. It was his favorite smell next to Emily's unique scent and then coffee in the morning.

"I messed it up with your mom." He leaned over the crib and watched his son shift a bit in his bed. "I didn't mean to, but it's been kind of a lousy night."

He reached in and adjusted the blanket around his son. The heat came on, pushing warm air into the room, but Spencer shivered. "I hope you never have nightmares buddy. They really stink."

Aaron didn't move as Reid stroked his head with two long fingers. "See… sometimes Daddies get scared just like little babies. Daddy was very scared because he thought…" Reid swallowed hard and something in his throat clicked. "Well… I was scared, but you don't have to worry, because I'm not going to go anywhere. I'm gonna stay right here with your mom. Daddy loves you."

Aaron slept and Reid watched, as the light grew brighter in the room. "I wish you could understand me and talk. I don't know how to make things right with your mom."

The light was turning from black to grey around the edges of the blinds at the window. Aaron shifted again and let out a little cry that startled Reid back to reality.

He'd been imaging how things would be different if he'd just grabbed hold of what he wanted a year ago. He should've done things right, married Emily and then had Aaron.

"But would you be the same little person," Reid wondered aloud. "Would you be different if we'd conceived you the old fashioned way?"

Aaron turned his head in sleep. If he heard his father, what he said didn't bother him. "Would the two cells that came together to form you be the same two cells if we hadn't decided to do artificial insemination. Does it matter or is it all random chance?"

Aaron didn't look like his father's crisis of belief affected him. "You're right, it doesn't matter buddy. I still have you and I love you. Now, if you could just give me a hint what to say to mommy. I think she's really mad at me.

The baby was quiet in sleep. "Right… I need to figure it out on my own."

---

Emily turned over when Reid got into bed. "I'm sorry," She said sleepily."

"Go back to sleep."

Instead, she hugged him, putting her head on his chest. "I'm sorry I got mad. You really surprised me."

"We've talked about getting married," He reminded her.

"Yeah… but you never just blurted it out like that."

"Oh… I did it wrong." He sounded like a light had just gone off in his head. "I should have done something more romantic."

"No…" She sat up and put her chin on her hand.

The light was very grey in the room so she could see the confusion in his face.

"No, I don't think you should be more romantic. We're not normal you and I. We never do things the way everyone else does. Look at Aaron…"

He smiled and happiness made the moths in her stomach do away. "That's very true." He said.

"I'm not saying that I won't marry you."

"So you're saying yes!"

"You're relentless."

He reared up and kissed her. "I'm just persistent."

"Yeah… you're persistent alright. Okay Spencer Reid, I'll marry you."

He kissed her hard, and the moths came back into her stomach.

"Don't go there Dr. Reid."

He pouted and she laughed. "So when do you want to get married." She left the bed and went to the closet for her robe.

"We're going to be in Vegas next week…"

"Um no… try again Spencer. We're going to get married right here with our son and our friends. My mother will be there too."

Reid snapped on the light and shielded his eyes. "I can't believe you just said that."

Emily tied her belt in place. "Wow… I can't believe I said that either. It's kind of nice to look forward to seeing her."

"I think the universe just tilted on its side." Reid teased.

She picked up her pillow and threw it at him. "Watch it!"

"You don't scare me."

"Really… How about if I move into the guest room for the next two months?" She almost laughed at the look of utter horror on his face.

"You wouldn't do that."

"Yes I would. I mean, why suffer being so close to you when we can't make love. You're the one that's always complaining about having to wait and this way you -"

He'd climbed out of bed and now he grabbed her in his arms. "You're not going anywhere, Emily Prentiss."

"I'm an FBI agent. I've been highly trained. I can take you down."

He kissed her. She forgot her threat to him, and how to breathe.

"That's not helping," She said breathlessly when he let her have her lips back.

"I know… I can't help myself."

Emily laughed. "I'm going to go make some coffee.

---

Reid stood in the doorway of the bathroom watching Emily bathe their son. Aaron was enjoying the feel of the warm water on his skin now. He splashed a bit and didn't scream like someone was killing him.

Emily gently cleaned his tummy and his little arms. She was cooing at him the way he'd seen JJ talk to Henry a couple of times. Watching JJ play with her baby always made him laugh. Seeing Emily play with little Aaron made him feel happy.

"I bless the day you asked me to be your donor." He said leaning against the counter next to the sink.

Emily smiled at him as she poured more warm water over Aaron's head being careful to keep it out of his face. "I bless the day you said yes. I was so scared you'd say no."

He smiled shyly as Emily finished with Aaron and took him from his little bathing tub. Aaron began to cry as she dried him off.

"I think this little man likes the warm water too much. He wants to stay there… Don't you my love." She kissed Aaron on his forehead.

"I think you're right. I don't blame him. Showers and baths are the best. I hate getting out of nice warm water."

"I know… You use most of the hot water." Emily scolded him.

"Sorry…"

"No you're not." She finished drying off Aaron and reached for a diaper.

"Okay, I'm not sorry," He admitted.

"See, daddy tells stories." Emily informed the baby who was letting them know of his displeasure with getting dressed.

"Very funny!"

Emily quickly dressed Aaron in a tiny, dark blue onesie that said, "My mommy is an FBI agent." in gold across the front.

"Where did you get that?" Reid pointed at the onesie and began to laugh.

"Garcia found someone to custom make it for us. I don't know how she did it. I try not to question what she can do. It makes my head hurt."

"That's true, it's better not to go there." Reid agreed.

"I'm taking him downstairs so you can have some privacy." She told the love of her life.

"Why do I need to have privacy," He wondered following her out of the bathroom.

"You need to call Bennington and talk to doctor about us coming to see her."

"Oh yeah," his forehead was furrowed with concern.

"Don't worry baby," She kissed his cheek. "It's going to be okay."

He didn't know if it would. He went to the bedroom and found his phone where he left it, sitting on the night table.

"Here goes nothing!" He picked up the phone and hit the speed dial for a very familiar number.

It rang several times before a voice said, "Dr. Norman's office."

"Hi," His voice squeaked and he cleared his throat. "Um… this is Dr. Reid. May I speak to Dr. Norman please…?"


	7. Chapter 7

_**Disclaimer: see my profile **_

Kathy shut the door to Mr. Marconi's room with a gentle click. The man's meds had finally kicked in so that he slept after keeping half the ward awake with his tantrum.

"Hey Kathy…"

She turned to see Gina in her dark cranberry scrubs coming up behind her. "How's Mr. Marconi?"

"The same… He's still convinced we're drugging his food. He says it doesn't taste right. He won't take his meds so Dr. Ambrose had to give him an injection. He's sleeping now. I don't know what we're going to do with him. Dr. Ambrose says they're making progress, but I don't know.

"You look beat!"

"Thanks!"

"I'm just saying that with your broken foot, you should take it easy." Gina scolded her friend.

Gina's long black cornrows shook as she spoke. Her black eyes twinkled down at Kathy from her nearly six feet of height.

"I've had enough of taking it easy. I was out for months and I just want to get back full time. My foot is fully healed and I'm still on just part time."

"The doctor told you -"

"I know… I have to go back slowly otherwise there is the risk of re-injuring the foot and this time I might have to go in for surgery."

"See…" Gina smiled, "that wasn't so difficult."

Kathy straightened up to her full height of five three and stuck her tongue out at her friend. "You're very annoying."

"It's part of my charm."

Kathy mumbled something under her breath about Gina's charm that had them both laughing. They turned the corner to the nurses' station and almost ran into Dr. Norman."

"Hello ladies," He smiled at them.

"Hello Sir," They said in unison.

"How's Dianna Reid this morning?" Dr. Norman addressed Gina.

"She's sitting in her room staring at the baby pictures Dr. Reid sent over with his last letter. He sent her another empty album too, but at the rate he and Agent Prentiss take pictures of the little guy, Dianna won't be able to fit it in her room before the baby's a year old."

"I think it's good for her." Dr. Norman said.

"I don't know…" Gina disagreed. "She keeps talking about how the government is keeping Spencer so busy that he can't come and see her. She tells me every time I see her how much the baby looks like Spencer and how much she wants to see her grandson.

"Good… I just talked to Dr. Reid. He asked how Dianna was and if I thought she's be up to having him and his family visit in a few days."

"I think Mrs. Reid would love it."

"I'll go see her." Dr. Norman thought aloud. "Her new meds have worked out very well in the last few months. I think she's stable enough to have visitors."

"I think family's always the best cure." Gina said.

"If you knew my family, you might not feel that way." Kathy said.

"I'm sure it will do her good." Dr. Norman said.

"I hope you're right. I like Dianna Reid. She's alright." Gina said.

----

Emily was in Reid's easy chair when he came downstairs. She looked up to see him dressed in a dark blue dress shirt and a matching pair of slacks with his old, dirty Converse shoes. His hair framed his face looking much better now that he'd had it cut short a week ago.

"Hey… you look great!"

He blushed and it gave his thin face a bit of color that offset the dark circles under his eyes. He sat down on the very edge of the couch and just stared at her and Aaron, who slept in her arms.

"Honey…"

"Hm…"

"What's wrong?"

He was biting his lower lip. "I talked to Dr. Norman." She noticed that he held tightly to his cell phone as he talked to her.

"Good… What did he say?"

Aaron shifted, gave out a tiny cry and fell silent again. "He said he'd have to speak with her and evaluate her reaction to the news." He spoke in a monotone voice, and clutched at his phone as thought it was a life preserver in the high seas.

"He didn't say no!"

"No he didn't," Reid jumped to his feet and began to pace the room. "I'm so tired of having to ask permission to change anything about my mother's routine or her life."

"Spencer…"

"I know this isn't going away. I've known since I was five. Do you know how it feels to know your mom is going away a little every day and she'll never come back?"

"Baby I -"

"Did you know that my mother was diagnosed when she was twenty one years old? I've never known a day with her that she wasn't in the grip of this terrible disease. I asked my father when I was eight, what my mother had been like before the disease. He didn't even know. He met her afterwards. Did I ever tell you that her mother, my grandmother, asked my father to break off their engagement? She told him that my mother would ruin his life."

"How could he tell you that? You were just a -"

"I was just a kid that could understand what my parents fought about. I never had the luxury of ignorance. I heard what they shouted to each other. My grandmother didn't think my mom should have a child. Maybe she was right."

Emily froze as ice formed in the pit of her stomach. Aaron cried a bit, and then closed his eyes as she held him closer to her heart.

"Don't ever say that Spencer Reid. I couldn't live my life without you. I love you so much it physically hurts sometimes. What about our son? Would you have him never exist?"

"No… That's not what I meant."

"Then how did you mean it."

Aaron woke and began to cry. "Damn it." She glared at Reid.

"Emily you don't understand."

"The hell I don't." She struggled to her feet with the baby screaming in her arms. "You just said that you wished you'd never been born."

"I didn't say that."

"Not in those exact words, but you said you thought your grandmother was right."

"Emily…"

"No! I'm going upstairs with Aaron. It isn't good for him to hear us fight. It's upset him."

"Emily please…" He tired to put a hand on her arm as she left the living room.

"No… I love you Spencer, but right now, I don't want to see or talk to you. Stay away from me."

She hurried up the stairs with Aaron as Sophie ran into the room. The cat jumped up into Reid's chair and stared at him.

"I messed up really bad Sophie. What am I going to do?"

The phone rang in his hand and he answered it. "Dr. Reid."

"_Hello Dr. Reid. This is Dr. Norman. I spoke to your mother. I think she's okay for you to come for a visit. She's got photos all over her room and she thinks your job is making you stay away so I thought it would be good for her to see you and your son." _

"Thank you Dr. Norman. I'll call you back with the details."

"_You're welcome Dr. Reid. I look forward to seeing you again." _

Reid shut his phone and looked over at Sophie who was lying over one of the couches arms and swishing her tail.

"Are you mad at me too?"

Sophie meowed at him.

"What do I do?"

The cat jumped down off the sofa and ran back out of the room. "As usual, you're no help to me." He yelled after the retreating cat.

"Well Spencer… It's time for you to go fix this. Great, now I'm talking to myself."

He stood and as he turned, he noticed the framed photograph on the table next to the couch. It was one of him as a small child with his mother. Her long golden hair framed her face and she was smiling as she hugged him. He wore god-awful glasses and his hair was as wavy and unruly as it was now, but he looked happy.

"I miss you mom. I'm going to see you soon, but first I have to fix a small problem. What should I say to her mom? I really love her and I'm sorry I was such a jerk."

"I think you said just the right thing." Emily said from the stairs.

"Hey…" He said.

"Hey yourself…"

"I'm sorry!"

"I know."

She waited for him on the stairs. Her dark eyes held him as he climbed the risers, making him feel warm all over.

"Is Aaron okay?"

"Yeah… I'm sorry I said that. I got upstairs and as I was putting him in his crib I realized that I sounded just like my mother."

"Emily!"

"It's true!"

"It doesn't matter."

"It does matter. I don't want to make the same mistakes as my parents. They really love each other, but sometimes -"

He was standing on the riser right below her so that his face was just below her eyes. He reached up and kissed her softly on the lips. Her arms circled his neck and he held her close.

"Can we start the morning over again?" He said as they parted.

"Yeah… I think that would be great."

The kitchen door opened. "Dr Reid…" Helga called out.

"We're in here."

Helga came around the corner. "Hello my Liebchens."

"Good Morning Helga."

"Do not be worrying. I am making you a very gut breakfast this morning."

"Thank you Helga."

"It is no trouble. I vill call vhen it is ready, ja."

She hustled off to the kitchen leaving Reid and Emily laughing quietly on the stairs. "I guess we better go wash up."

"No problem, I already took a shower." Reid in formed her.

"Good… Helga will be pleased." Emily teased.

"Dr. Norman called." Reid said as they headed back to the living room. "So…"

"So, call the travel agent, we're going to Las Vegas!"


	8. Chapter 8

_**Disclaimer: see my profile**_

_**A/n hey all... Here's the next chapter. Hope you all enjoy.**_

Gina knocked softly and entered when she heard, "Come in."

Dianna Reid sat on the couch at one side of her room, wearing her fuzzy pink robe and a pair of slippers. She held one of her photo albums in her hands. She looked up at the nurse as Gina came in and put a tray of breakfast food on her night table.

"What's wrong Dianna…You didn't come down to breakfast."

"I'm not hungry!"

"You hurt Stacey's feelings. She made blueberry pancakes this morning."

Dianna's eyes flicked over to the tray then back to Gina. "I don't care."

"I think you do…"

"I don't care. Someone's been in my pictures. They mixed them up."

Gina held out her hand. "May I see which one is missing?"

Dianna got up with the album. She sat down on the bed next to Gina and pointed out the photograph. "See that's Spencer and some strange woman. It's supposed to be me and Spencer. The government must have changed it. They can do that you know, with all kinds of camera trickery."

Gina pointed to the picture, "See, look closely, that's Spencer's fiancé Emily and your grandson Aaron. Remember a few days ago that Dr. Norman said Spencer and his family were coming to visit. And Spencer called last night to remind you and he told you that he and Emily had decided to get married?"

Dianna looked at Gina then down at the picture. "That's Aaron…"

"Yes… See, there's the picture you put in of you and Spencer as a baby. See, they look so much alike don't they."

Dianna pushed the book away. "I got confused again. I hate feeling confused all the time. I hate being here with this disease." She pulled at her short hair and her voice rose.

"Dianna…" Gina grabbed her arms. "You need to calm down and eat. Spencer and Emily are going to be here to see you today. You're going to meet Aaron for the first time."

"I am?"

"Yes, I swear it on my life. You know I'm your very good friend, right."

"Yes…" Dianna went back to the couch and picked up another photo album. "Thank you Gina. I'm sorry I got upset."

"Hey, it's no big deal between friends. I'll never lie to you." She promised.

"They're coming to visit today?'

"Yes… Why don't you eat the pancakes and I'll pick out something for you to wear."

"I need to take a shower first."

"Eat first, bathe next." Gina insisted, going to the tray and taking the top off the plate.

"You're a bit of a bully." Dianna accused.

"Yes I am, but you like me anyway."

"Sometimes," Dianna conceded. "Sometimes I tolerate you."

Gina sat on the couch and laughed. "I'm going to look over your albums while you finish your breakfast."

"You don't have to stay," Dianna poked at her meal."

"Yes I do… Now sit down and eat. If I have to take that back to Stacey, I can't be responsible for what she'll do."

"Okay… I'll eat the pancakes." Dianna relented.

Gina watched her attack the food as if she hadn't eaten for a week. She might forget to eat, but when she did, her appetite was always good.

Gina kept one eye on her patient and one eye on the albums. Dr. Reid must have sent his mother at least one hundred different pictures of Aaron and various members of the family and their extended family, the team at his work.

"I'm finished… May I go take a shower?" She asked like a little girl asking her mother for permission to go on her first date.

"Yes… you may, I'll come back later."

----

"Hey Sleepy head…" Emily poked Spencer in the ribs.

He didn't move so she leaned over and kissed him on the cheek. One of his hands brushed at her face as if she were a fly hovering around him.

"Wake up Spence…"

"Five more minutes…"

"No… We need to get up, and get something to eat. You're going to see your mom today."

His eyes popped open. "Right… Um, what do I say to her?" He asked suddenly, while rolling over to gaze at Emily.

"What do you guys talk about when it's just you?"

"We play scrabble and sometimes we don't talk."

Emily tunneled her fingers through his mussed hair. "What do you say to her when you do talk?" She asked again.

"She likes to hear about my cases, even though she says she hates that I have such a sad job."

"What else?"

He sat up, rubbed at his eyes like a small boy and smiled "We talk about books and art, and history. Sometimes she forgets where she is and she thinks she's in a class lecturing. I like it sometimes because it's like she comes alive."

"Then that's what you'll do today." Emily snuggled up to him and put her head on his chest.

"But -"

"I know what you're thinking baby… You think it'll be all stiff and uncomfortable if I'm there."

"I didn't say that."

"You don't have to… I'm not going to decide that I don't want to be with you because of your mother. You should know by now that I'll never be that selfish. No matter what happens with your mom today, no matter what she says to me, it won't push me away. I'm going to love her because she's your mother and Aaron's grandmother. I hope I'll love her because we find out we have more in common than loving you."

Reid went pink in the cheeks. "Emily…"

"See, you're completely cute!"

"But -"

She put a hand over his mouth. "I had a lot of time to think on the plane while you were sleeping."

He pushed her hand away. "Come on Emily…"

"And," She went on as if he hadn't spoken. "I realized that Aaron's the one that's going to make it right. She's going to love him."

"Yeah… he's pretty great!"

"He's great because you're his dad."

His cheeks went from pink to scarlet. "He's great because you're his mom." He said shyly.

Aaron began to cry from the crib the hotel had set up in their suite. "Right on cue," Emily said proudly as Reid jumped up to get the baby.

"I think someone is hungry," Reid said as he brought the little boy to his mother.

"Then you better get in the shower, while I feed his royal highness."

"Okay…"

---

Emily had just finished changing Aaron when Reid finally emerged from the bathroom. His wavy hair was slicked back from his lean face. He'd put on pair of dark brown cords and a cream colored dress shirt. His sweater vest was matching diamonds of brown and cream. His tie was the same color as his pants. He wore one cream sock and one dark brown sock with a pair of almost clean white tennis shoes.

"You look great!"

"Really?"

"Yeah… Your mom's going to be so happy to see you."

He put his arms around her and kissed her. "I can't believe I'm here with you and our baby. It's like a dream come true."

Emily picked up Aaron and handed him to his daddy. "It's not a dream. It's very real. We're all going to be a happy family."

"I hope so!"

"It's going to be fine. You've got to trust in that."

"Okay…"

"Why don't you finish dressing Aaron while I take a shower? That is, if you've left any hot water for me."

"I wasn't in there that long!"

She slapped him lightly on the shoulder as he put Aaron down on the bed. "Take a look at Aaron, he's three months old now instead of six weeks," She deadpanned.

He looked down at the baby who was looking up at him and maybe smiling, but Reid couldn't tell for sure. "He doesn't look twice his age. Do you little man? No you don't, mommy exaggerates."

"Whatever, I'm going to go find out about that hot water."

Reid looked at the selection of clothes Emily had picked out for Aaron to wear. He put on the baby's on piece tee shirt with snaps to hold it in place. The next item of clothing was a grey onesie with the word's Mommy's Mister Cool in blue, green and dark grey letters, with dark blue trim around the collar, legs, and arms.

"You look very stylish." Reid said as he picked up the baby. "Let's go find your little sweater and blanket so you don't get cold."

---

Emily pulled on her heavy jacket over a dark purple sweater and a pair of dark blue slacks. She zipped up the coat and turned to see her fiancé bundling their son into his carrier. Aaron was sucking enthusiastically on his favorite binky.

"Let's go… It's getting late." She said to Reid who was shrugging into his brown corduroy jacket and his purple scarf.

"Okay…"

"It's going to be okay." She hugged him. "Trust me."

"I'll always trust you."

"Good, then I won't have to hurt you," She teased as he picked up the baby.

"See baby, I told you mommy liked to talk big."

He jerked away when she attempted to tickle his ribs. "I've got a gun you know."

"Yeah… but you won't hurt me. I'm the father of your child."

Emily gave him a very annoyed look. "Don't think that won't stop me."

He kissed her and she laughed. "Okay… I guess I better keep you around. After all, only six more weeks and you and I…"

"Stop that right now. We need to get going." He said with a very red face.

"You're the one that's stalling."

"Are you sure -"

"Yes… Now get going."

He left first as she watched.

_Please let it be a good visit! _

She followed him out into hallway to the elevator. The cold, mid autumn sun waited to greet them. She would make it be a good visit!


	9. Chapter 9

_**Disclaimer: see my profile**_

_**A/n hello all... Here's the next chapter. Thanks to you all for your kind reviews and support.**_

"Dr Norman?"

He looked up from a stack of patient files in the center of his cluttered desk. "Yes…"

"Dr. Reid and his family are here to see Dianna."

"Thank you Sherrie."

He put down his file and shut off the desk light. Shadows re-took the room into the gloom of the morning. The day was grey, black and ashy outside the windows. It looked as cold as it felt when he had got into his car to come to work. Now it seeped into his office as he left with Sherrie in tow.

"I'm glad Dianna has visitors today. She's been a bit depressed lately."

"I know… I have been worried about her. She gets this way every year when the seasons change. Seeing her son will do her a lot of good."

"You really worry about them all don't you?" Sherrie asked as they walked down the hall to the elevator.

He looked down at the smaller woman who had been his head nurse for three years. She was just over five feet tall and grey haired, but she was strong as an ox. Many nurses had crossed her at their peril and had learned their lesson. She expected hard work and compassion from her staff or they didn't stay long. Her blue eyes smiled up at him, teasing out the smile lines on her face.

"In a lot of ways they're like children that have lost their way. Most of them have genetic conditions that have put them here away from their families. I wish we could cure them all and send them home, but we cannot. All we can do is our best to make them comfortable and safe.

As the doors to the elevator opened, Dr Norman's mind went back to the morning Dr. Reid had called and asked if he could bring his son to see Dianna. His first instinct had been to say no because this wasn't the place for an infant, but he couldn't bring himself to say no to Dr. Reid and his mother.

He'd gone to see her right after the call to tell her that her son would be visiting with his fiancé and son. He'd knocked on her door and she'd called out for him to come in as she always did.

"_Dianna…. How are you feeling this morning?" _

"_I don't want to talk to you today. I'm busy…" _

_She flipped rapidly through the album on her lap. He could see from his upside down view that it was more photos of her grandson and her soon to be daughter- in-law. More of these photos decorated her night tables and the small dresser at one end of the room. The place of honor in the middle of the dresser was a framed photograph of her son holding her grandson as he sat on a couch in what Dr. Norman assumed, was the doctor's home. The doctor had a huge smile on his face and his eyes looked bright and healthy, instead of sad and haunted as they had the last time Dr. Norman had seen him at Bennington. _

_Dr. Norman sat down on the couch Dianna occupied, being sure to stay at a distance while his patient continued to study the photographs with a far away look in her eyes._

"_I like this one." He pushed a finger at one of Emily with Reid. The woman in the picture was exceptionally beautiful with dark hair and eyes that were enchanting. Reid had his arms around her waist and they were laughing at the camera. _

"_She's an FBI agent just like my son." _

"_Is she?" He asked, knowing the answer. _

"_Yes… I thought when Spencer began to write about her that she might be a plant to spy on him and me, but now I know she's not. "_

"_What changed your mind?" Dr. Norman asked. _

"_Spencer wrote to me to tell me that she asked him to be her donor for artificial insemination. At first, I didn't think it was real. I thought it was part of the adventures of his job. Then I got another letter that said the procedure had worked. I knew it was real and I realized that she was okay." _

"_Why did you think that?" Dr. Norman said as he looked at the next photograph of Emily with a cat in her arms. _

"_Because my Spencer is perfect. He's handsome, and smart, and completely wonderful. I'm so proud of him. If Agent Prentiss chose him, it was not to try and hurt him."_

"_Really?" Dr. Norman pushed, playing devil's advocate._

"_Yes… He's the best choice for a donor. I'm not surprised she fell in love with him. He's perfect." She enthused with a smile. _

"_I'm happy for you." Dr. Norman said as she flipped to the last page in the book. "I have more good news for you." _

"_What?"_

"_Spencer, Emily, and Aaron are coming out for Thanksgiving to see you. I think it'll be good for you." _

"_He's really coming to see me?"_

_Dr. Norman was amazed to see Dianna's eyes fill up with tears. She never cried. She'd get agitated and she'd scowl like a pro, but she never cried. _

"_Yes… Are you okay?"_

"_I don't need a shot if that's what you're asking." _

_He smiled at the steel returning to her eyes. This was the Dianna Reid he'd known for these last few years. _

"_I'm not trying to drug you. I just want to know how you are."_

"_I just can't quite believe that it's real." _

"_It's real…" He put a hand on her arm. "You're going to have your family around you very soon. It will be great for you." _

A hand on his arm brought him back to earth. The doors to the elevator opened, and startled him. Only a few moments had passed since they boarded the car.

"Is everything alright Dr. Norman?"

"Yes… I was just thinking about Dianna and her little family. I'm excited to see them all together."

"Me too."

They turned down another hallway together. Sherrie went right when they approached the next intersection. "I need to look in on Mr. Craft. Angela said he's giving her trouble again."

"Let me know if we need to change his meds. I'll have a talk with Dr. Snyder if we do."

"Okay… Tell Dr. Reid I said hello."

She headed off down the hallway on white tennis shoes that were her trademark at the hospital. She moved without a sound, and he smiled to think how many times she'd startled patients and how many times she'd caught nurses not doing their duties with her silent tread.

He turned another corner. Dr. Reid sat in the lobby area with his fiancé. She had the baby carrier on the table in front of them and was talking to Spencer. He looked at her with such love in his eyes that Dr. Norman wished he had a camera to take a photo for Dianna.

"Hello Dr. Reid." He held out his hand to the young man.

"Oh… Hello Dr. Norman. Um… thanks for arranging this for us."

"You're welcome."

Reid turned to Emily who was getting to her feet. "This is my fiancé and a valued member of my team at Quantico, Supervisory Special Agent Emily Prentiss."

Dr Norman smirked at the note of extreme pride in the young man's voice. "I'm very pleased to meet you. I've heard a lot about you."

"Really?" She asked with a laugh. "I didn't realize that you and Spencer corresponded regularly."

"We talk about his mother a few times a year and when Dianna needs changes to her care. Dianna is the one that talks about you all the time. She reads Dr. Reid's letters to shreds and tells me all about his adventures."

Reid went scarlet while Dr. Norman told Emily all about the things he'd written to his mother and that she had in turn shared with him, the nurses and other patients.

"We appear to have quite a fan base." She kidded.

"Emily… I didn't mean to -"

"Relax Spencer; I think it's very sweet. It should be easy to break the ice with your mother now." She wrapped an arm around his waist and hugged him tight.

"Agent Prentiss is right. Dianna thinks very highly of you. I think she's going to respond very well. And, she's very anxious to see you."

"Call me Emily."

"Alright…"

"Oh…" Reid spun around and went to the baby carrier on the polished wooden table in front of the couch. "I can't believe we almost forgot about him." He extricated Aaron from his carrier.

The baby was awake and quiet. He looked up at his father with sleepy eyes that were identical to his father's, Dr. Norman noticed.

"He's beautiful. All of the pictures you sent to Dianna don't do him justice."

"Thank you… He looks a lot like Emily." Reid said shyly as he played with his son's tiny hand.

"Spencer's being modest. He looks exactly like his father. My hair color is the same as the baby's but that's about all."

"That's not true," Reid began to argue as Dr. Norman tried not to laugh. "See, they have the same nose and the shape of his eyebrows is the same. If you look at his ears -"

"Stop it Spencer," Emily said, taking the baby from him.

"Come on… Dianna's waiting to see you." Dr. Norman said.

"Dr. Norman is right… It's time to stop stalling Spencer."

"I'm not stalling!"

"Yes you were," Emily tucked Aaron back into his carrier and took Reid's arm with her free hand. "Your mother's waited long enough to meet Aaron. Let's go see her and make her happy."

"Okay…" He took the carrier from her.

They followed Dr. Norman down the next hallway to the day room. There were about five patients scattered around the room when they arrived. Dianna Reid was one of them. She wore a simple white blouse and a dark blue skirt.

Reid stopped in the entrance as he always did to watch her writing in her journals.

"It's going to be okay," Emily said from his side.

"Emily's right. She's in a good mood today. Her meds have been stable for some time now. This is the best time for you to come here and introduce your baby."

"Come one." Emily said again as she took Reid's hand. "Let's go say hello."


	10. Chapter 10

_**Disclaimer: See my profile**_

Reid stopped in the entrance as he always did to watch her writing in her journals.

"It's going to be okay," Emily said from his side.

"Emily's right. She's in a good mood today. Her meds have been stable for some time now. This is the best time for you to come here and introduce your baby."

"Come on." Emily said again as she took Reid's hand. "Let's go say hello."

Reid stopped and handed the carrier to Emily. "I think I should go first." He said, giving her a significant look

She squeezed his hand again and he smiled at her. "We'll wait over here." She said, kissing him on the cheek.

"He's an extraordinary young man." Dr Norman murmured as Reid walked over to his mother.

"Yeah… I just wish he didn't have so much pain in his heart."

"It's made him what he is."

"I just wish…"

Dr Norman patted her on the shoulder. "He's very happy. Happier than I've ever seen and I suspect it has more to do with you and this beautiful child than anything else."

"He is happy. I hope this visit will heal what's left of his pain instead of causing more."

"It will." Dr Norman assured her as they watched Reid speak to his mother.

----

His mother sat on her favorite couch facing the window, which put her back to Reid as he approached. His heart pounded in his chest as it always did when he came to see her. His hands began to sweat a bit. He took a deep breath and circled the couch to stand in front of her. Would she recognize him? What kind of mood would she greet him with today? She could switch around so fast.

"Hello mom," He choked out in a bit of a squeak.

She looked up and smiled at him. "Hello Spencer… I've been waiting for you."

"I know mom. I'm sorry I'm late."

"It's okay baby. How are you? You look much healthier than the last time I saw you. Someone's been feeding you."

She looked him up and down and he felt his face getting red. "I always eat mom."

"Don't argue with your mother Spencer. You have the same metabolism as me. We can eat most anything and not gain an ounce."

"Yeah…" He agreed unable to say more.

Her short blond hair had been recently washed and combed. Her clothes were clean and free of wrinkles. She looked like she might be getting ready to go teach a class at the university. He choked back tears because she'd see them and be upset.

"Come sit down next to me honey." She patted the couch.

"Um… First I have someone that wants to meet you." He looked up and caught Emily's eyes. She was watching him and smiling encouragingly.

He nodded his head and she stepped forward with Aaron in his carrier. Dianna turned around and watched them approach.

"Mom… This is my fiancée, Supervisory Special Agent Emily Prentiss."

Emily gave him a look and laughed. "Geez Spencer, it's your mom, not a potential witness."

"Right!" He blushed.

"It's nice to meet you dear." Dianna said and she smiled which had Reid letting out a breath of relief.

"This is Dianna Reid, my mom." He said proudly as Emily sat down on an easy chair that faced the couch, but didn't block Dianna's view of the outside.

"I'm very pleased to meet you ma'am. Spencer talks about you all the time."

Emily took Aaron from his carrier. He'd gone back to sleeping soundly. Reid took the baby and went over to the couch. "This is Aaron, mom."

"Oh… he's so beautiful. He looks just like you did at that age." She enthused.

"That's what I keep telling him. He's got my hair color but that's about it." Emily said giving Reid a playful glare.

"Alright I give up." He held up one long fingered hand.

"It's about time."

"Did you know that most babies look like their fathers in the first year of life?" Dianna said, sounding so much like Reid, it was a fight for Emily not to laugh. "It's an evolutionary response. Scientists believe," Dianna, continued, "it keeps children from being abandoned by the fathers if they see themselves in the babies."

"Now I know where you get it." Emily said giving Reid a little kick to the leg.

"I read a lot." Dianna said and Emily did laugh.

"Do you want to hold Aaron?" Reid said desperately while favoring Emily with a withering look that only made her laughed harder.

"Oh yes… I'd love to if that's okay."

"Of course it is… That's why we came."

He gently placed Aaron into Dianna's arms. Dianna looked at him for a very long time. She ran a hand over his head and down across his cheek. Aaron jerked, but didn't open his eyes. She traced a finger over his lips down to his tiny hands that were perfect little copies of his daddy's hands. Aaron let out a little cry, and then fell silent again as his hand gripped his grandmother's finger in his sleep.

Dianna looked up after long minutes with her dark eyes full of tears.

"Mom… Are you okay?" Reid slid over and put an arm around his mother.

"Yes… He's just so beautiful. He reminds me so much of you. I remember how I felt right after you were born. It was the best time of my life. Thank you for bringing him here."

"You're welcome mom. I love you."

"I love you too baby." Dianna turned to Emily who was wiping away some tears. "Thank you for letting Aaron come see me here. I know it's not the best place for a baby."

"Ma'am -"

"Please call me Dianna."

"Alright… If you call me Emily."

"Okay."

Emily came to sit next to Dianna on the couch. "I wanted us to come here. I want my son to know his grandmother. You're the one that gave a wonderful gift to the world, Spencer."

"Emily!"

"Don't blush Spencer. Your mother knows I'm right."

"She's right Spencer. You are perfection."

Reid kept his eyes on Aaron who was sleeping peacefully in Dianna's arms. He was red up to his ears.

"So how are you Dianna?" Emily was asking. "Is there anything you need or that we can do for you?"

"Some new reading material would be nice." Dianna said giving Reid a very pointed look.

"Okay mom. I'll see what I can find at the Last Word. I'm sure there's something there that's perfect for you."

Dianna beamed at him. "He's such a good boy."

"Mom!"

"Don't be embarrassed Spencer. We mother's always talk about our little boys like that. Don't we Emily?"

"Your mother's right! I can't wait till Aaron's old enough to embarrass."

"You were saying yesterday that you hoped he'd stay a baby forever." Reid said trying desperately to take the attention from himself."

"True…" Emily reached out and took Aaron's other hand in her fingers. "I don't want him to grow up and stop being my little boy."

"He'll always be your little boy." Dianna said wisely, as she beamed down on Aaron. "It won't matter how tall he grows or how smart he gets, he'll always be your baby boy."

"I hope so."

"Trust me," Dianna reached up and touched Emily's hair. "You're going to be a great mom. I can tell."

"Thank you Dianna." It was Emily's turn to blush.

"You don't believe me… Well, I know because of all the wonderful things my boy writes about you. Did you know he's been in love with you for years?"

"Mom!"

Emily grinned at him. He began playing with the edge of Aaron's light blue baby blanket.

"Of course he'd never tell you. I'm glad you made the first move my dear. You would have waited forever for this one to make a move."

"Mother!"

"Alright… That's enough teasing."

Emily laughed as Reid shifted uncomfortably in his seat. "I didn't know when I asked him to donate for me how much I cared about him." Emily admitted.

"Of course you did!" Dianna argued. "You just weren't ready to say it. I'm glad you both came to your senses."

"You sound like Garcia." Emily said still laughing.

"Oh… I think I remember her. She's that curvy blond woman that Spencer says is a genius with computers. I don't like computers. The government uses them to spy on us."

"Mom!'

"Don't worry baby… I'm taking my meds, I'm not going to go off on some conspiracy theory and scare off your nice girlfriend" Dianna assured him as Emily's eyes danced.

"I like you Dianna," Emily said enthusiastically. "You couldn't scare me off."

"Thanks my dear… See Spencer, I'm not scaring her off."

"I didn't say that!'

"We're just teasing you Spencer."

"Then stop it!"

"Why!" The too women said at the same time.

Dianna and Emily grinned at him as he threw up his hands in defeat. "Oh do what you want. I'm just sitting here listening."

"So tell me about yourself." Dianna changed the subject.

"Well my parents were Ambassadors, so I grew up all over the world."

"Wonderful… How great to grow up in Europe and be exposed to all that art and -"

Aaron began to cry, interrupting Dianna. "Hey little man… What's the -"

Reid was interrupted by a shrill cry from behind them. "Shut that kid up!" A voice said.

Reid jerked around and saw a patient charging them down. The short woman with carrot red hair pushed past a nurse, knocking her to the floor. "Get out of my way, bitch!"

"Amy!"

The woman ignored Dr. Norman who'd left his place at one end of the room and was signaling for help from the nurse at the desk.

"Shut that brat up!" The woman screamed as she charged.

Dianna jerked back in the couch as Aaron screamed in her arms. When Reid thought back over the events years later it never failed to amaze him the way Emily handled the tiny woman who seemed bent on hurting Aaron.

Emily came to her feet so fast it looked like she was sitting one minute and standing the next second. She grabbed the woman and whipped her around, slamming her up against the wall with one arm twisted up her back.

"Move, or speak, and I'll break your arm." She whispered to the woman as the orderlies dashed belatedly into the room.

"Where were you two?" Dr. Norman bellowed at them. "Get her back to her room and restrained. Now!"

"You freaking bitch. Let me go!" Amy shouted at Emily.

"Settle down Amy. We've got her ma'am." One of the orderlies took the struggling woman away.

"Wow…" Was all Reid could think of to say.

Dianna seemed very unruffled as she rocked her grandson, trying to calm him. He kept screaming so Emily took him.

"I think he's hungry," She said.

"I can show you a place you can feed him if you need privacy."

Emily smiled weakly at Reid and took Aaron away with Dr. Norman.

"She seems okay." Reid said weakly as he collapsed back onto the couch from where he'd sprung to his feet.

"She's a mother… You don't mess with an animal's baby. We're animals Spencer… We feel things."

"I know mom. I hope he's okay."

"Aaron's fine."

Reid looked up at the watery tone in his mother's voice and saw that she was crying. "Mom?"

"It's okay… but I have something I want you to promise me Spencer."

"What mom?"

"Promise me you'll never come back here with Aaron. I don't want to see him again."


	11. Chapter 11

Disclaimer: see my profile

Reid looked up at the watery tone in his mother's voice and saw that she was crying. "Mom?"

"It's okay… but I have something I want you to promise me Spencer."

"What mom?"

"Promise me you'll never come back here with Aaron. I don't want to see him again."

"But mom… W-what are y-you saying, what d-did I do?"

"Don't be obtuse Spencer. It's too dangerous here for Aaron. I don't want you to bring him back here until he's old enough to know the truth of this place."

"But mom -"

Dianna held up a hand. "Please don't make this harder then it already is baby." Tears filled her dark eyes. "It was a mistake to bring him here. We both forgot what this place really is underneath all the shine and sparkle. It's an insane asylum."

"Don't say that mom!"

"Spencer…" She pulled him into her arms. "I love you more then you can understand. I love Aaron too. I don't want him to be hurt, physically or emotionally by coming here. It would kill me if anything happened to him."

"Mom…"

She stroked his head as it laid again her shoulder, just as she had done when he was a small child and in pain.

"You know I'm right baby."

"Yes m-mom," He choked.

"Now promise me you'll come back to see me with Emily. Promise me that you'll keep Aaron away from here. There will always be more patients like Amy here."

"I promise… I love you."

"I know you do baby."

Reid looked up from her shoulder. His eyes were red, but his face was resigned. "I'll send you lots of pictures of Aaron and more photo albums."

She wiped away the tears that were tracking down his cheeks, while holding back the ones that wanted to cascade down her face.

"I know you will… I'll be looking forward to them. Now, put a smile on your face. Emily will be back with the baby soon."

"Dianna…" They turned to see Dr. Norman approaching them with Gina on his heels. "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine. I don't need a sedative." She pinned a stare on Gina who stared back. Dr Norman looked at Reid who slowly nodded his head in agreement with his mother.

Emily came back into the room with Aaron. She sat down next to Dianna and handed her the baby.

"Emily… I'm very tired my dear. Do you mind if we cut this visit short." Dianna cuddled the baby and kissed his forehead.

"Of course… Are you alright?"

"I was going to ask you the same thing."

"I'm less scared then I should be and angrier than I thought I could be."

Dianna nodded. "You're a mother… It's natural that you'd fight for you child."

"I wanted to hurt her and I never react that way."

"It's okay. You did the right thing." Dianna said.

"It's my fault." Dr. Norman said. "I thought the day room was the safest place. I also thought that Amy Ledger's meds were stable. I'm going to go have a chat with her doctor."

Dr. Norman left the room, striding out the door as if he were after a jewel thief that just stole the Hope diamond.

"I wouldn't want to be Dr. Warren." Gina said.

"Would you walk back to my room with me Gina?" Dianna asked the nurse.

"Of course… Are you okay?"

"Yes, I'd just like a bit of company."

Dianna gave Aaron to Spencer. She looked at the little baby as if she were trying to memorize everything about him before they left. Tears collected in her eyes.

"Thank you for bringing him to see me Spencer."

"You're welcome."

"Emily…" Dianna held her hands out and Emily took them. "I'm so glad you meet you in person. You've made my baby so happy. Thank you."

"I should be the one thanking you. I can't imagine my life without Spencer and Aaron."

"I'll see you soon?" Dianna asked.

"Yes."

"Bye Mom…"

"Goodbye Spencer… Be careful!"

"I will mom."

---

Emily shut the hotel room door behind them. The chilly fall wind had cranked up, making it much colder then she thought it could be out in the desert in November.

She watched Reid put Aaron's carrier on the table in one corner of the room. It was a round wooden table that looked out over the balcony they had. The room that JJ had booked for them came as a favor from a contact she had in Vegas. It was a full suite done in dark chocolate brown colors and dark blues. They had a room with a connecting nursery that had a crib, changing table and rocking chair.

Spencer took the baby out of his carrier. She followed him into the small nursery and watched him take off the tiny sweater the baby wore. He put Aaron in the crib and kissed him.

"Honey… What's wrong?"

She wrapped her arms around him and hugged him tight.

"You mean besides our son and my mother getting attacked by a psycho woman." He was shaking under her touch. "What else could possibly be wrong?" He pulled out of her arms and went to the window.

She let him stand there in silence looking out over the cold fall day. He stood there as though the weight of the world had been transferred to his shoulders. Maybe it had. What should she say?

She didn't speak, just watched him watch the lead gray sky that threatened rain or snow. Her eyes began to sting and her mouth went dry as papyrus. The silence dragged out until it cut her heart to the quick. She turned and went back to the suite's living room.

The couch was chocolate brown leather to match the walls in the living room. It was very comfortable. She sat in the corner next to one of the arms of the sofa. It squeaked as she sat down. She traced a finger over the smooth material as if it were sand at the beach. The sting in her eyes gradually went away. Her heart, which had been pounding, slowed with the repetitive motion of her fingers on the arm of the sofa.

The couch squeaked and shifted as Spencer sat down next to her. His unique scent washed over her like a summer breeze.

He moved closer to her and suddenly she was engulfed in two arms that held her tight against him. He was shaking so hard that the sting came back to her eyes.

"Emily…"

She looked at his expressive eyes and the pain in them shattered her heart again. "What? "

"I'm sorry."

"Why are you sorry?"

"I took our son into a dangerous situation and -"

"If you recall, it was my idea to visit your mom."

"But I've been there… I knew it was no place for a baby. I should have said no."

"Spencer… What's really bothering you?"

"My mom doesn't want us to bring Aaron back to see her until he's old enough to take the risk by his own decision."

"So that's what's been bothering you."

Reid sat up and looked at her. "That's all you have to say?"

"Will you be mad if I say I think Dianna is right?'

"No… I thought you'd be upset!"

"I am upset because I can see that this decision hurts you."

"Of course it hurts me! He's my son and she my mom."

The leather of the couch squeaked in harmony with his voice as his arms flew about his head to punctuate his words.

"I know she's right Emily… That's what hurts." He got up from the couch and began to pace the room. "I tried to convince myself that my mom was fine. I thought if I just pretended that mom was in some kind of fancy hospital instead of a sanitarium, it would be alright."

He stopped right in front of Emily. "How could I think that?"

"Because there's still a little boy inside the man who want's his mother back well and whole."

"Emily…"

She stood up and pulled him into another tight embrace. "It's okay baby… I'd be very worried if that little boy inside you was silent, or worse, resigned to his mother's fate. You love her. There's nothing wrong with that."

"I can't believe this is happening. I mean I should have expected it, but I didn't even consider that someone like Amy would try to hurt our little boy. How stupid does that make me?"

"Hey…" She pulled away and took his face in her hands. "You're not stupid. It wasn't your decision, it was our decision. I should have anticipated what might happen."

"It's not your fault -"

"Alright…" She smiled at him. "Can we agree to disagree on this?"

"Yeah…" He didn't smile. "I'm going to take a shower. I'm tired."

"Do you want something to eat? It's late for lunch, but I'm hungry."

"No! I'm going to lie down for a while. The jet leg is really getting to me."

---

Garcia mopped up the last of the homemade salad dressing she'd spilled and rinsed out the rag in the sink. The pasta salad she would make for Thanksgiving dinner in two days, was much better after the salad dressing had set in the refrigerator for a couple of days. She put the lid on the container making sure it was tightly sealed before putting it in the fridge.

She was halfway through loading the dishwasher with all the dishes from her baking when her cell phone buzzed.

"Garcia…"

"_What no sassy greeting." _

"Emily… I didn't look at the caller ID. I thought you and my sweet boy were in Las Vegas."

"_We are…" _

"What's wrong?" Garcia went to the couch and prepared for a long conversation.

She listened as Emily outlined the whole day for her right up to Spencer going to sleep in their room after hiding in the bathroom for half an hour.

"_I don't know what to do. I just want to pack up and come home."_

"I don't think you should do that."

"_Why not Garcia? He's nearly as depressed as he was right after Georgia. I'm scared."_

"Don't worry Emily… I have an idea. You two are going to stay put and have a great holiday."

"_But -"_

"You just told me that Dianna doesn't want you to come see her."

"_What does that have to do with it?"_

"Well… When Reid was out there dealing with the possibility that his father was a murderer and pedophile, Dianna left Bennington to see him."

"_Yeah…" _

"So, why don't you arrange for her to come to your hotel on Thanksgiving Day? You can have dinner in your room. It wouldn't overwhelm her and she can see Aaron again."

"_Why didn't I think of that, it's a perfect idea?"_

"Because you're too worried about Reid. Now go tell him all about it and make him happy. I want to see a smile on that boy's face when he gets home."

"_Yes ma'am!" _


	12. Chapter 12

_**Disclaimer: see my profile**_

_**A/n hey all... Here's the next chapter. Thanks again to all my loyal readers and those of you who take the time to post a review for me. You're all awesome. Also, thanks to my wonderful beta REIDFANATIC. She's the best.**_

He lay on the king-sized bed with his eyes closed to the world. The cotton bedspread was soft under his back. The pillows cradled his head comfortably, but he couldn't fall asleep despite his hot and grainy eyes that told him he was losing his last wind. He'd pulled the blinds at the window to block the day out, but the grey light of fall still crept in around the edges of the window.

He sighed and turned over to his left side. The bed clothes shifted and whispered as he moved. The pillow was cold under his cheek, as cold as the day was outside the hotel. It made him shiver. He pushed his hand into his pocket and withdrew the medallion he'd earned after one year of sobriety. His long fingers had memorized the lines and groves of the coin, hours after he'd received it. Still, it held power. It was a talisman that reminded him of all he could lose. It was Emily's smile and the soft touch of her hair on his cheek. It was Aaron's finely molded face and his tiny but strong fingers. It was Hotch's faith in him, Garcia's unconditional friendship, and Rossi's respect. It was JJ's unwavering support and Morgan's older brother wisdom. It was everything he needed to keep him sane. It was his mother's love.

His mom… He flipped over to his right side and stared at the dark blue painted wall. His mom had been right about Aaron's safety but it had hurt. How was he going to explain to his son that Grandma was in a sanitarium, and that she had a mental disease that made it unsafe for him to see her?

His heart thudded slowly and painfully in his chest as he tried to think of some way to explain it to Aaron. His fingers worried at the medallion as though it were a set of worry beads or a rosary.

"Hey Spencer…"

He hadn't heard her come into the room. She slid onto the bed with him. Her arms enclosed him in their warmth. She kissed his neck. The gentleness of her lips on his skin made him shiver.

"How's Aaron?"

"He's got a clean diaper, so he's comfortable and happy."

"Is he awake?"

"Yes… He's in the crib, but awake."

Reid squeezed her hands and slipped out of her grasp. "I need to go see him."

"Spencer… I have an idea that I think will solve our problem and keep Aaron safe."

He looked down at her. _What had she come up with this time?_

"I called Garcia."

"Why?"

"Don't sound so horrified. You know how much she cares for you. You were so unhappy. I had to bring in reinforcements."

"But -"

"Just hear me out. She suggested that we stay here for the holidays and bring your mother to the hotel with us. We can have dinner here together.

His heart had continued its slow, ponderous thudding while Emily spoke. Now, his heart began to pound hard and fast.

"Hey…" Emily came to his side.

"Sorry… I was just asking myself why I didn't think of that."

Emily was smiling at him just like she always did when he got flustered.

"Gee, I can't think why you'd be a little less than one hundred percent." She teased.

He laughed and it felt like a one ton weight had been lifted from his chest. "I guess you're right. Though I don't know how we're going to manage a dinner on such short notice."

"Garcia said she'd take care of everything for us."

"But isn't she hosting dinner for Kevin, Rossi, Hotch and Jack?'

"Yes, but you know her, she thrives on multi-tasking."

Reid hugged Emily tightly. "Yeah… She likes to be busy. Thank you for calling her."

"You don't have to say thanks. I love you so much. I want to see you happy and smiling."

"I can't believe you put up with me."

Emily gripped his shoulders much harder than she needed to. "Don't say that! I don't care if you freak out over something as important as cutting your mom out of Aaron's life. I'd be more concerned if you didn't freak out a little."

She reached into his pocket and pulled out the one year medallion. "I saw you playing with this," She held up the metal coin in her fingers. "Some days are more difficult than others."

"Of course they are… I'm so proud of you for trying every day. Every time I see this I know you're fighting and winning the battle to stay sober for you, and for me and Aaron." She turned the medallion over in her hands, enjoying the warmth it held from his hands. "I see this and I think of all the things I could've missed out on if you didn't have so much strength." She put her hand over his heart. "You amaze me."

"I do?"

"Yes… You fool everyone with your innocent prep-school boy look."

"Emily…"

She grinned at his blush. "See… That's what I mean! I want to say to every local cop, or detective, or agent we work with, that they underestimate you to their peril." He looked at his shoes. Emily hugged him. "Now... Let's go see if Aaron's asleep."

----

"Hi Mom…"

"_Emily… How's Vegas?"_

"It's great…."

"_You don't sound convinced sweetheart." _

"It's not that it's not great here. I love that you and daddy understood that Spencer needed to see his mom. It's just that things didn't go the way I thought they would."

"_What happened?"_

Emily sighed. Her mother wasn't going to like this. "Well… we went to see Dianna Reid and everything was great till a patient tried to attack her while she was holding Aaron. I stopped her. It was like something just took me over and I took her down."

There was so much silence on the line that Emily thought her mother might have disconnected the call.

"Mom…"

"_I'm not happy you had to deal with it, but nothing happened so don't worry about it." _

"You're taking this much better than I thought."

"_I told you I'm trying to be supportive. I know how much you love Spencer. He loves his mother. He wouldn't just abandon her. It's what I like most about him."_

"Dianna told him not to bring Aaron back to see her till he's old enough to deal with the consequences. Spencer was really upset about it."

"_I think that's a wise decision." _

"Mom!"

"_Don't fly off the handle Emily. Keeping Aaron safe is the number one priority for you. I know that. I just wish that Spencer's mother was healthy and living in a nice home with a white picket fence. I want him to have that. He deserves it."_

"I know that mom. I talked to Garcia from work and she suggested that we take Dianna out of Bennington and have dinner here. I think it's the best solution till Aaron is grown up."

"_I agree… Your friend is very smart." _

Emily smiled at the thought of Garcia. "She loves Spencer. She's like the Mama Bear of the BAU."

"_She's a very colorful and interesting person." _Elizabeth admitted with a chuckle.

"You don't know the half of it. She invited her boyfriend, Rossi, Hotch and his son Jack for dinner. I just can't picture them in her colorful apartment eating turkey and all the trimmings. '

Her mother laughed. _"I can't picture it either." _

"I'm sorry we're not there mother. I know how much you wanted to see Aaron for the holiday." Tears fell down her cheeks and she wiped them away.

"_This is more important Emily. Agent Hotchner promised me that you'd be here for Christmas. He said you'd be off the field list." _

"When did you talk to him?"

"_Last night… He called to wish us happy holidays." _

"Thanks mom."

"_Don't thank me. Just go have a happy time with Spencer and Aaron." _

"Okay… I'll talk to you in a couple of days."

"_I love you Emily." _

"Love you too mom."

She put down the phone and went to see what Spencer was up to with Aaron. She walked around the corner and smiled at the scene in front of her

Spencer lay on the dark blue carpeting in the living room. He'd spread one of Aaron's blankets down and the baby lay on his back. Spencer lay on his side facing the baby. Aaron's head was turned in his direction watching his daddy play with his medallion. Spencer was making it dance across his fingers. It winked in the yellow light of the lamp Emily had switched on as it had gotten dark outside.

The baby seemed almost hypnotized. Emily thought that it looked like her son was trying to smile at Spencer and the coin. There was a gurgle that sounded like a laugh that had Spencer dropping the coin in the middle of another complicated dance across his knuckles.

"Did you smile for Daddy?" He said, surprised and delighted.

The baby gurgled again and swung his little hands in the air. "Smile for Daddy," Spencer encouraged, making a funny face at his son that made Emily choke back a laugh.

Suddenly there was a flash of lightning and a crack of thunder. Aaron began to wail, the happy look on his face erased by the storm that had rain lashing at the windows like blowing sand.

"Hey little buddy…" Spencer picked up the crying baby just as Emily was about to rush forward into the living room.

"It's okay… The rain's outside and we're here inside where it's nice and warm."

He rocked the baby back and forth in his arms, cooing at him and talking softly while Aaron cried. Everything in her wanted to go to the baby, but Spencer was so insecure about the baby when Aaron wasn't happy.

Slowly, even though the storm really cranked up outside, the baby calmed and stopped crying. She smiled as Spencer got a big grin on his face.

"You see, I told you it was just a matter of practice." She said, going into the room while more rain pounded on the windows.

Spencer started and went red in the face. "You were watching."

"Yeah… It was very cute. He loves you so much."

"Well young babies don't…"

"Don't say it Spencer. I don't care what the doctors say. Babies can love their parents. I can see it in his eyes."

"You think so?"

"I know so!"

"I love him so much Emily."

"I know that too…" She hugged them both. Aaron had once again fallen asleep. He was so beautiful when sleeping so peacefully. It made her heart hurt.

"Thanks for letting me take care of him."

"I trust you Spencer and so does he." She looked back down at their son.

"What now?"

"It's raining… Why don't we put him down and order some food?"

"I think that's a very good idea."


	13. Chapter 13

**_Disclaimer: See my profile_**

Emily entered the suite's bedroom from the bathroom in time to see Spencer attempting to knot his tie. His long, slim fingers kept slipping off the knot. His face was red and his fingers were trembling.

"What's wrong Spencer?"

He turned his chocolate eyes on hers. They were furious and very sad at the same time. "I ran into my father." He spat out the word 'father' as if it were something that left a nasty taste in his mouth.

"Where?"

"I was feeling nervous so I put Aaron in the stroller. I thought we could go for a little walk around this place. This hotel is so big." He pulled off the tie and tossed it on the bed. "We got into the elevator and went to the first floor. Aaron was awake and we were having a good time till I pushed him out of the elevator on the first floor.

_He would never forget the shock at seeing his father there with two other men Reid didn't recognize. He had been so happy. Aaron was awake in his infant stroller making little cooing noises. _

_The elevator had been empty, but for a twenty-something young man. He had platinum blond hair and dark blue eyes. The moustache he sported was bushy and hid his top lip. He looked at Aaron as if he was a bomb that was about to go off. Reid kept his eyes on the man till he got off at the next floor._

"_He looked terrified of you little man." Reid chuckled. "I bet his girlfriend's bugging him to get married and have a baby." _

_Aaron answered with another little coo that sounded like agreement even though Reid knew the baby didn't understand. _

"_Yes he did," Reid continued despite the fact he was talking to a five-week-old baby. "I was kind of scared when mommy asked me to be your daddy. I read a lot and know lots of things that most people don't care about, but I'm really shy and awkward."_

_Aaron didn't respond or seem to care that his daddy might be shy._

"_I had to think about it for awhile. I'm glad I said yes because I really love you. I love being a dad. And, I love your mom very much. _

_Aaron kicked his legs under the blanket Reid had tucked around him. _

"_I'm probably boring you," Reid remarked as the doors to the elevator finally opened on the ground floor. _

_He pushed the stroller into the wide hallway that ran down to the check in desk. It was empty, but for three men entering the hall from the hotel restaurant. _

_There was a tall man in the center of the three men that looked at Reid. They locked eyes and Reid stared as the man came to an abrupt halt in the middle of the hallway. His companions continued for a couple of steps before they stopped in confusion._

_William said, "Hello son." _

"_Hello Dad," Reid said quietly._

_The two men stared at each other, forgetting their company for a minute. Then Aaron began to cry softly. Reid turned his back on his father and picked up his son. He lingered over arranging the baby in his arms while his mind raced. He didn't want to turn around and confront his dad with Aaron, but there might not be a way to avoid it._

"_Spencer…" _

_Reid turned with the baby in his arms and confronted his father. "What do you want Dad?"_

_Williams face went very red. "I'm surprised to see you. Are you here on a case?"_

"_No Dad…" _

"_Um… These are my clients, Gregory Hunt and James Ashton," William said desperately trying to fill the silence that froze the air. "Gentlemen, this is my son, Dr. Spencer Reid."_

_The man on William's right smiled a bit. "Oh, we've heard a lot about you. William tells us you're an FBI agent." _

"_That's right," Reid snapped coldly while Aaron continued to fuss in his arms._

"_I'm sorry I haven't called son." William said into the same artic silence. He was looking at Aaron with surprise and hurt._

"_Sorry dad… I forgot you don't know about my son. This is Aaron Spencer Reid." Reid replied curtly. _

_William looked at Aaron, then at Spencer, "He's beautiful! "_

"_Yes… He is beautiful. He's also loved and cared for. He'll never know the pain of abandonment by his father, not while I'm alive." _

"_Spencer…" _

"_Oh… I'm so sorry Dad! Am I embarrassing you in front of important clients? I suppose the lengths you'd stoop t-to protect me and my m-mother never came up in casual c-conversation."_

"_Spencer please… I didn't mean -" _

"_I suppose the f-fact that you abandoned me and my mother when I was ten, never came up over c-coffee." _

"_I'm so sorry Spencer. I love you son." _

"_Sorry doesn't make it better dad. Take a good look at Aaron. This is the last time you'll see him." _

_Aaron, who'd settled down a bit, began to cry in earnest. "I'm sorry little man. Daddy didn't mean to scare you." _

_He threw a nasty look at his father and turned to leave, pushing the stroller back toward the elevator with one hand._

"_Spencer wait… Let me try to explain!" _

"_Leave me alone dad. It's what you're best at!"_

"So…" Spencer said coming back from the recent memory. "My dad knows about Aaron. I probably scarred our son for life. I should have held my temper."

Emily, who had been patiently listening, shook her head. "You didn't scar him for life."

"How do you know? You said that babies could sense emotions. I read this study done at UCLA in nineteen-eighty nine. The test -"

"Stop it Spencer!" She picked up his tie and wound it around his neck.

"Emily…"

"I don't need you to quote research at me." She flipped up the collar of the dark purple dress shirt he wore. "I need you to tell me what's really bothering you."

"I'm worried about our son."

"No… You're angry with your dad. I don't blame you." She tied the tie and pushed down his collar.

"I was so surprised. If I had known he was going to be down there…"

"You can't avoid your dad forever."

She stepped back to admire him. His slacks matched his shirt. He wore one dark grey sock and one black sock. His dark blue converse was familiar and looked just right on his feet. .

"I've done pretty well so far," He was saying.

"You went looking for him when you thought he was a child killer!"

Reid sat on the edge of the bed. "Don't remind me."

"You didn't want him to be the killer."

"Didn't I?"

"Of course not," She said.

"There was a small part of me that did. I thought that if I could put a reason behind his leaving, it wouldn't hurt so much." He choked out.

Emily pulled him into her arms, hugging him tightly. "Baby…"

"How could I wish that my father was a pedophile or murderer? What kind of man does that make me?"

Emily pulled back and put her hand on his face. "You listen to me Spencer Reid. You're the kindest, most honorable, the best man I know."

"But -"

"You've spent the last twenty years wondering about your Dad and what happened to Riley Jenkins. You were a child when it happened. Of course it was a confusing jumbled mess in your head."

"I should've believed in him!"

"Why?"

"Because he's my dad," He reminded her.

"Yes… He's your father. He was supposed to take care of you. He did a huge thing to protect you and your mom, but he wasn't there when you really needed him."

Reid clutched at her shoulders drawing her to him. He was shaking hard and a wave of fury swept over her. It was the second time in two days he'd been so upset. It was Thanksgiving Day for God's sake. He should be happy. She held him tight until he stopped shaking.

He went out to the living room. She followed him to the window that looked out over the strip and all the casinos that lined the street. "Everyone can tell you that you should forgive your father." She said putting an arm around his waist. "They say it hurts you more than the person you refuse to forgive, when you hold a grudge. I don't know if that's true. I'll never push you to give forgiveness when you're not ready."

"I know… Thank you."

"You're welcome… Now get in the nursery and get Aaron into that cute outfit I bought him for today."

"Why does he have to have a special outfit? He's not going to eat with us. He'll probably sleep through the whole afternoon?"

Emily smirked up at him. "It doesn't matter. He has to look cute, like his daddy for Grandma."

"Okay… But I don't understand why."

She kissed him and patted his cheek as if he was a little boy. "You don't have to understand, it's a mother thing."

---

An hour later Reid had Aaron dressed up in a pair of little dark blue corduroy pants and a light blue shirt He added a tiny blue and white stripped sweater vest to the ensemble and smiled. Reid looked over his shoulder to see if Emily were looking while he added one white sock and one dark blue sock to the outfit. Emily walked into the living room just as Reid was placing him in his stroller.

"What's this?" Emily pointed at the mismatched socks.

Reid went scarlet. Damn, he hadn't been fast enough with the blanket to hide the socks. "Um… It's good luck."

"Spencer Reid."

"Well I thought that we might need a little good luck."

She laughed because there was nothing else to do. "Okay… I'll buy that."

"You look great." He changed the subject while she added a blanket to the stroller.

"Thanks…" She had pulled her hair up at the sides and it flowed down her back in waves. She wore a cocktail dress that was black with spaghetti straps. She had accented the dress with a black lace shawl around her shoulders. She had on high heel pumps and carried a small black clutch purse in her hand.

"We owe Garcia big time for this."

"What I want to know is how she got the restaurant to stay open past noon on a holiday and make a dinner with all the trimmings for three people and a baby." Reid wondered.

"I don't ask questions, I just reap the benefits." Emily responded

There was a knock at the door. "That must be Dr. Norman and your mom."

Reid pulled at his tie. "Okay…"

"Don't worry… We'll be just fine."

"It was nice of him to take the time away from his family to bring her here."

"Stop stalling and open the door," Emily pushed him in the direction of the door as another knock sounded.

"Right…"


	14. Chapter 14

Reid opened the hotel door. His mother and Dr. Norman stood on the other side of the door, speaking quietly to each other.

"Hi Mom."

Someone had done Dianna Reid's hair. It was clean and fluffed out a bit. She wore a pink sweater with a dark blue linen skirt and jacket. She smiled uncertainly at Emily.

"Hello Dianna," Emily stepped forward and hugged her.

Dianna still looked uncertain to Reid as Emily released her. She stepped back to let Dianna into the living room. His mother's eyes lit up at seeing Aaron. She made a beeline for her grandson. Emily grinned at Spencer and he felt his shoulders relax.

"Thank you Dr. Norman."

The tall, balding and graying doctor smiled. "It's my pleasure."

"Would you like to come in for a minute?"

"No… I need to get on to the airport. My daughter, her husband, and their two girls are coming in. They wanted to get her yesterday, but there was a problem with my son-in-law's work so… Listen to me go on. I better get going."

"Thank you again."

"You're more than welcome Dr. Reid. I told the nurses to expect Dianna back around eight."

"Yes…. I'll take her back myself." Reid said.

"Have a nice dinner."

"Thanks Dr. Norman."

Reid shut the hotel door and turned back to see his mother had picked up Aaron. She sat on the sofa cooing at the baby who was awake and looking up at her with great interest.

Emily grabbed Reid's hand. "Thanks," he said with a quaver in his voice.

"I didn't do anything."

"You called Garcia."

"I did," Emily agreed.

"She looks so happy." He said softly. "I haven't seen her that happy in so long."

"She's great with Aaron. I think he really loves her."

"I never believed that a connection could happen so fast between two people till I met you." He whispered.

"I feel the same way about you." She whispered back while squeezing his hand.

"Are you two going to stand over there, or are you going to come and sit with Aaron and me." Dianna said.

She looked up at them expectantly. "He won't bite," she said, completely deadpan, as she gently rocked Aaron.

Emily laughed and Aaron cooed. Reid smiled and went to sit next to his mother on the couch. "We have to get downstairs pretty soon."

"We have a minute to talk." Dianna said in a no nonsense, don't argue with me, tone.

"Yes mom."

Emily went to the easy chair, trying not to laugh at Reid's obedient tone. She watched her son look up at his grandmother. A little smile crossed his face. People said that small babies only smiled because of gas, but she saw the same look in Aaron's eyes that she was seeing more and more in Spencer's eyes. It was just plain happiness. It might be a dream, but maybe some hopeful fantasy was a good thing.

"We're so glad you're here." Emily said.

"It's not Thanksgiving without family." Dianna said.

Aaron gurgled and waved his hands as if in agreement with his grandmother.

"I'm sorry about yesterday," Dianna went on. "I was so angry and afraid for my grandson." She rocked the baby who continued to look up at her as if she were the only person in the room.

"Mom…" Spencer put an arm around her shoulders. "It wasn't your fault."

"Not about that, I mean about telling you to keep Aaron away from Bennington."

"It's okay mom. I understand more than you know. We'll work it out."

"You're a good boy." She patted his arm.

"I love you mom."

"I know… I love you too."

Emily watched her soon to be mother-in-law with Spencer and Aaron. She really owed Garcia big time for this idea and making it all possible, and for the smile on her Spencer's face.

"Dinner's going to be ready pretty quick. We better get down to the restaurant." Emily reminded them.

Dianna put Aaron back in the stroller. The baby began to fuss a bit until Spencer arranged the blanket and spoke quietly to him.

Emily got the door as Dianna followed Spencer out of the room. He pushed the stroller down the hall to the elevator and pushed the button for the ground floor.

---

The restaurant was named "Cloud Nine." Its blue walls were just a few shades lighter than the blue of the walls in their suite. Someone had moved the sign that normally stood inside the door that said: "Please wait to be seated."

The tables were all old world with brass trim at the edges. The carpet was dark blue. Wood and brass sconces held the lights. All the lights had been turned off except for one of the tables near a wall of windows to the north. The candles at the table muted the late afternoon sunshine. Their golden light fell over a woman that was setting china and crystal on the cream colored tablecloth.

She turned just as they entered, as if she knew they were there. "Hello…" She bustled over to them with a huge smile. Her dark hair was streaked with platinum white and piled on top of her head. "You must be Dr Reid."

She grabbed Reid and hugged him to her ample bosom while Emily smirked. "I've heard so much about you from Penny."

"Really," he squeaked.

"Oh yes…" Her hands were careworn and red, but gentle as she reached into touch Aaron's cheek. "I've heard a lot about all of you."

"I don't understand." Reid said.

"Come with me and I'll explain." She led them to the table she'd set up as low classical piano music played.

Reid pulled out a chair for his mother and then one for Emily as the tall, sweet faced woman arranged Aaron's stroller between Emily and Reid's chairs.

"Penelope and I met when my son died. A drug dealer in DC killed him. It was purely a case of him being in the wrong place at the wrong time. She helped to counsel my husband, Scott and me. My name is Louise, by the way, and I would do anything for Penny. She helped us put our lives back together. She even helped us to get jobs out here when we had to leave DC because of the memories. My husband is the head chef here and I help wait tables and help with some of the cooking when he will let me."

"But you gave up your holiday for us." Reid exclaimed.

"No… we didn't, we don't have anyone but ourselves. If we can help you have a nice time, then it's the best way we can spend this holiday."

"Thank you," Emily said.

"You can thank us by making a big dent in the food my Scotty has made for you."

Louise left them there looking at each other. "So your friend set all this up." Diana said in surprise.

"Spencer and I have learned not to be surprised at anything Garcia does. We sort of just go with it.

Aaron cooed in his stroller and kicked his legs.

"Yeah… it's better if you don't ask too many questions." Reid agreed while he made faces at Aaron.

"She sounds quite remarkable." Dianna said as she looked out the window at the grey day.

"She is," Reid said proudly. "There's nothing she can't do."

"True," Emily said as Louise returned with a large tray in her hands.

A man with light blond hair followed her. He had dark blue eyes and he smiled at them. "This is my husband Scot."

"Welcome…"

He shook Reid's hand and kissed both Emily and Dianna on the cheek. He grinned down at Aaron who was sucking on his pacifier and swinging his fists in the air.

"What a beautiful baby?" he exclaimed as his wife began to put food down on the table.

There was everything Emily loved about the holiday, yams, stuffing, corn, and mashed potatoes. Louise also brought out non-alcoholic cider and green bean casserole. The huge turkey Scott had roasted for them was golden brown and juicy. Scott insisted on carving the turkey for them.

Emily said a small beautiful prayer thanking God for their togetherness and for Aaron. She opened her eyes to see a sparkle in Dianna's eyes. Her Spencer was watching his mother closely. He looked like this moment was the best he had had in years.

"I can't wait for the green bean casserole," Reid exclaimed as Emily picked up the platter of turkey.

"Helga would be so proud of you." Emily teased.

Spencer pretended to throw his roll at her. "That's not funny."

"Who's Helga?" Dianna asked.

"She's our housekeeper slash nanny. She's German, a great cook and she loves Spencer and Aaron. She's always trying to get him to eat."

Dianna smiled. "It looks like it's working. You're not as thin as you were the last time I saw you." Dianna said to her son.

"Mom… She calls me Liebchen!" He moaned.

"What's wrong with that? It's a term of endearment."

He narrowed his eyes at his mother who was smiling at him. "It's not funny mom."

"I'm glad you have two great women looking after you. You need that baby."

He opened his mouth and then closed it. Perhaps it was better just to eat his turkey.

"She's great." Emily said with a sweet smile to Spencer who glared at her.

"Tell me about your house. I've seen some of the rooms in pictures…"

Spencer listened to his mother and Emily talk while he ate. It was as if they had forgotten he was there, but he didn't mind. It was enough just to watch them get along so well. Aaron began to fuss a bit so he picked him up and rocked him in his arms until the baby fell quiet again.

"Spencer…" Emily interrupted his thoughts.

"Hm…"

"I asked you if you remembered to bring your camera on this trip."

"Yeah…"

"Good, we need to take some pictures of Aaron with Dianna and of you with your mother."

"Okay..."

"Spencer, the baby is asleep. Put him down and eat." His mother ordered over her corn.

"Right…"

The pumpkin pie was the best Reid had ever tasted. He had two slices which delighted his mother.

Scott emerged from the kitchen as they were thanking Louise who was hugging Emily. "It was good." He asked.

"It was the best. You should let me help you clean up." Emily offered.

"Of course not… You're the guests of the hotel. Now get out of here and enjoy the rest of the day." Scott shooed them away.

---

Reid pulled his camera out of his suitcase as the clock reached seven pm. There was time for pictures before he had to take his mother back to Bennington.

"I found it." He said coming back into the living room from the bedroom.

"Good…"

Emily arranged Aaron and Dianna on the couch. Reid took the picture of them together. It was so great to see his mother holding the baby with a big smile on her face.

"How about Spencer with Aaron?" Dianna directed.

Emily took the picture. Aaron seemed to be in a mood to cooperate with the picture. He'd slept through the first three pictures and when Dianna took the camera for a picture of him with his parents he opened his eyes and looked up at Emily.

"That's the best one of the bunch!" His mother exclaimed.

They crowded around the small screen of the digital camera. "This is a beautiful photo mom. I didn't know you took such great pictures. "

"I loved photography when I was a kid. After I… well after I got sick I destroyed all my cameras. I thought the government was using them to spy on me. Sometimes I still feel that way."

"Mom…"

"It's okay baby. You need to stop feeling guilty for something that isn't your fault."

"But mom I -"

Dianna stood up and hugged him. "I'm your mother. Do as I say. You have a beautiful family. Go be happy and send me lots of pictures."

"Okay mom…" He choked.

"Now it's time for Cinderella to turn back into a pumpkin and go home."

Emily had put Aaron back in his carrier. Dianna bent down to kiss his head. "I love you Aaron." She whispered.

"I'm glad you came." Emily said while Dianna hugged her.

"Me too…Thank you for inviting me."

Reid left with his mom after giving Emily a tearful smile. She took Aaron back to his crib. The baby was beginning to cry in earnest for his supper.

"Hey little man… Don't worry mommy's here. I'll always be here."


	15. Chapter 15

_**Disclaimer: see my profile**_

_**A/n hey all, here's the next chapter. Now that the site is allowing me to respond to reviews, I'll get to all of you that I owe replies. Till then, thank you all for your kind words! **_

"Hey Spence…"

Emily stood in the doorway to the nursery watching her guy stare at their son. Reid wore a dark blue dress shirt and matching slacks. His hair was still damp from the shower. Some of it clung to his head, while some popped out in curls around his face.

"Hi…" He didn't look up at her.

"You okay?"

"Yeah…"

"Helga's got breakfast ready for us."

"Okay…"

"Spencer," She put her arms around his waist.

Aaron was sleeping soundly under the solar system mobile over his crib. He would be awake soon though as he was finally beginning to get into a schedule.

"What's wrong baby?"

His hands came down on top of hers and squeezed tight. "I don't want to go back to work today."

"Oh…"

"Do you think Hotch would buy me calling in sick?" He asked in a hopeful voice

"No… I don't think he'd fall for that one."

"Right… Okay, let's go eat for Helga."

"You make it sound like it's a trip to the execution chamber."

She tugged him out of the baby's room and down the stairs.

"That's overstating it a bit." Reid retorted, but he whispered it because Helga was talking to someone in the kitchen.

The kitchen was empty but for Helga who was telling off Sophie. "Go away… Stop with ze begging."

Sophia hissed at her and ran to Emily. She meowed up at her owner. "You better do what she says. I'll feed you in a minute." Emily said to the cat. Sophie left the kitchen with her tail in the air. Emily smirked after her.

"Dr Reid… Are you feeling alright?" Helga said to him.

"I'm fine Helga."

"You are not fine. I must always make you zit and eat. Why haf you zit before I tell you?"

"I'm hungry."

He did not sound very convincing to Emily who was sitting in her usual chair, waiting for the eggs she smelled.

"You are sad to be going to vork today, ja?"

"I - well okay I guess so." He admitted when Helga put her hands on his shoulders.

"Do not vorry Dr. Reid. I vill take very gut care of my Liebchens vhile you vork."

"I know Helga."

"You vill miss him very much. This I know, but you vill be home soon. Ze tiny Liebchen vill be very happy to see you. He and Emily vill be okay."

She patted his shoulders. "You must go back and do your job Dr. Reid. You and ze BAU help many people. They need you, ja."

She patted him again and went back to the stove. Emily smiled at him. He smiled back, but it didn't reach his dark eyes.

-----

Emily caught up with him in there shared office just down the hall from the nursery. He was taking his Glock out of the safe.

"She's right… We're going to be okay."

"I know…"

"I'm jealous of you." She said suddenly.

"Why?"

"You get to go back and see all of our friends. You get to go catch the bad guys and save the day."

He strapped on his holster and slid the Glock into place at his waist. "I know you don't mean that Emily. I get what you're trying to do though."

"I love our son." She said. "I love you too. It's going to be hard to go back to our routine, but we can't both stay here and play house all day, every day. It's not who we are. It's not who you are. You were born to do this job and you were born to be Aaron's father. You can do both. He's going to be the best, most well adjusted kid in the world when you're done with him. So don't worry about missing out."

He hugged her tight. "I didn't think it would be this hard."

"If it were easy I would be pissed at you big time."

He laughed. "I know… Thank you."

"For what," She pushed away from him.

"You always know what to say to me when I'm freaking out."

"It's a talent," she deadpanned."

"Very funny," but he was smiling sincerely now.

"Get out of here or you're going to be late. Tell Garcia I said hello."

"It'll be your turn in a few weeks." He warned her.

"Yeah… don't remind me."

"I'm going to go kiss Aaron goodbye."

Emily followed him out of the office. "Get going, you're stalling again.

"Yes ma'am."

---

Garcia stepped off the elevator. She stopped at the glass doors with "Department of Justice," engraved on them inside the emblem of the FBI. The bullpen from this side of the BAU looked bustling with activity. Morgan was at his desk, but her eyes passed over her chocolate hero to Reid's desk. It was empty. She frowned. He was supposed to be back to work that day. She'd been looking forward to it over the last week.

She shrugged her shoulders and by-passed going into greet Morgan. He'd want to know why Reid was late and he'd think she had all the answers. She headed back to her office and computers. Reid might be late, but he would be in.

She signed into her computers and began researching a file that Hotch had left with her. Her fingers knew all the databanks to search so they worked on their own while her mind considered Reid. So he was late, it wasn't as if the world had ended.

She sighed and picked up her coffee mug. She needed a caffeine fix to deal with her job and Reid. _Deal with Reid! He was late! It wasn't like he'd once again got into some kind of life threatening jeopardy! _

Luckily, Morgan was busy on the phone when she passed his desk for the break room. He gave her a look that she decided to ignore. He'd have to wait until she had a nice cup of steaming coffee.

She headed into the break room and the smell of something to clear her head. She stopped in her tracks at the doorway. Reid stood at the counter stirring a cup of coffee in a leisurely fashion that belied the fact that his desk was crowded with files from JJ that needed his attention.

"Hey Reid… I'm glad you're back. How are you doing?"

_Why are you smiling like an idiot? It's just Reid!_

"Hi Garcia… My carton of cream is missing again. Why can't people keep their grubby hands off it?" He slammed the door to the refrigerator.

"You've been gone for weeks. JJ threw it out when it was her turn to clean the fridge. It could've grown legs and walked away on it's own."

He narrowed his eyes at her. "It's impossible for mold to grow legs and walk away. Why do people say that about spoiled food in the fridge?"

"It's supposed to be funny Reid."

"It's not funny. Now I have to settle for just coffee and sugar. I don't like coffee and sugar without a little cream."

"Here…" She slammed open the door to the fridge and pulled out her favorite creamer. "Take this, put it in your cup, and tell me what's really bothering you."

Anderson entered the room. She turned and gave him a look that had him turning on his heel so fast he was in danger of whiplash.

"Talk…" She ordered when Reid tried to leave the room.

"Garcia!"

"Reid!"

"Okay… I didn't want to come back to work today. I miss Aaron. Are you happy now?"

Garcia stopped him with a hand on to his shoulder. "Of course I'm not happy if you're not happy. The first day away is always hard."

"Excuse me Garcia, but you don't know what you're talking about. You don't have kids."

"Thanks for reminding me Reid."

His face went pink at tone. "I'm sorry… I'm in a mood today. I didn't mean to take it out on you."

She took his elbow as if he were a little old woman she was escorting across the street. "Step into my office."

"Garcia, I have all this work to do and -"

"Why do you argue with me when you know you can't win?"

He looked at her. She wore a dark purple tank under a white jacket with a bright yellow skirt. She had a purple flower in her curly blond hair that matched her glasses. She was smiling. In a way that made him want to look anywhere but at her, face. He jerked his head toward her office.

"See… it's always easier when you people don't argue with me."

"That's not funny."

"Yes it is."

She led him though the bullpen ignoring Morgan who was still on the phone. Her friend was mouthing something at her as she passed. She shook her head at him. He was hot but very annoying at times. Reid followed her with the air of a tiny puppy about to be scolded for chewing up his owner's slippers.

"So, you're experiencing a bit of separation anxiety?"

"It's hard… This job is my life, or it used to be my life. I still want to catch the bad guys, but I don't obsess about it anymore."

"You want to obsess about your son instead, be there every minute so nothing happens to him, right?"

"When you put it like that."

"You can't stop bad things from happening to him Reid. You of all people should know that."

"I know that, don't you think I know that. I just want to protect him the best that I can."

"By never letting him out of your sight again? Don't you think he'd end up a bit neurotic if daddy were hanging around all the time? You have to let him make his own choices, even if they're bad and they get him in trouble."

"Again, I know all that Garcia but -"

"Emily's going to be home with for a few more weeks. Then you have Helga to look after him when you guys are working."

Reid frowned at the word, "Helga."

"What's up with you Reid? You hired the women when Emily was pregnant. I did the background check on her. She's great. She loves you, although right now, I can't see why, and she loves Aaron and Emily. You should love her. She's just about perfect."

"She makes me eat all the time Garcia!"

His face was scarlet. He picked up one of her colorful pencils and began to play with it.

"She makes you eat all the time and you don't like her? Are you nuts?"

"No!"

"I think you are! She's a great person."

"Okay… It's not the food. She treats me like a kid."

"Oh Reid… You were never a kid. Why don't you enjoy it?"

"I don't need a mother."

"Yes you do… That's the root of the problem. You think you're going to be a bad father if you don't hover over your son twenty-four seven. Your mother is in an institution and you hardly ever get to see her. You think if you let yourself like Helga it'll be a betrayal to your mother."

"Stop it Garcia…"

She pulled the pencil out of his fingers. "I'm not trying to hurt you, baby cakes. I'm just trying to help."

He picked up another pencil. "When did you become such a great profiler?"

"Do you really need to ask handsome?"

"I'm getting married." He suddenly blurted out.

"You are!" She squealed and hugged him so hard he felt bruised around the ribs

"You're breaking my ribs." He gasped.

"You're exaggerating!" She let him go. "So tell me all about it. How did you ask Emily?"

He went red again and looked at his feet. "Um… I don't want to."

"What did you do?" She was standing there with her hands on her hips, tapping her foot.

There was nothing to do but tell her very fast all about the nightmare and the spur of the moment proposal. Garcia didn't laugh although she wanted to.

"Okay… So you went about it the wrong way. At least she said yes. When's the big day?"

"I don't know…. we really haven't talked about it. We've been busy and then there was this trip to Las Vegas and I had to come back to work."

"Look… Emily understands the demands of the job. She doesn't care how you ask her. She loves you and wants to marry you. I'm so happy for you sweet pea. You'll work out the details with her when it's time."

"Thanks Garcia."

"You're welcome my handsome genius." She pointed to the door. "Now get out of here so I can get back to working miracles for you guys."


	16. Chapter 16

_**Disclaimer: see my profile**_

_**A/n hi all, here's the next chapter for you. Enjoy!**_

"Where have you been man?"

Reid heaved a huge sigh. "Morgan… Do the words, 'None of your business,' mean anything to you?" The younger man pushed his phone into his pocket and sat down at his desk.

"Hey… I'm your nosy teammate and partner."

"Don't grin at me like that. Just because we work together doesn't mean you need to know everything I do around here."

Morgan came over to lean against Reid's desk. "Come on man. You come in here an hour ago looking like someone ran over your cat and now you look like Christmas came early."

Reid leaned back in his chair and away from Morgan. "So what you're saying is that I can't change my mood if I want to."

"I didn't say that you couldn't," Morgan said. "I'm concerned."

"No you're not; you want to butt into my life."

"Reid… Just tell me what you've been up to."

"No!"

"I'll find out sooner or later. Maybe I can help you with whatever you're planning."

Reid picked up a folder and began paging through it. "I'm not planning anything."

"Why are you hiding behind a case you've already looked over for JJ?"

"I'm not -"

"Hey you two, upstairs now, Hotch needs us." JJ said from the overhead walkway.

"Saved by the blond," Morgan hissed at his friend. "This isn't over."

"Yes it is. We have a case." Reid pushed past him and nearly ran to the stairs.

"We'll see about that."

---

JJ clicked on the projector as the guys took their places around the table with Garcia. "This is Justin Merlin. He was kidnapped from Lakeside Mall just outside of Boston."

The child in the photograph was about two months old. There was a fuzz of light blond hair over his head and he had blue eyes. It was one of those posed pictures you take at a photography store. The child wore a red shirt and tiny blue jeans and even smaller cowboy boots.

"The Boston PD believes that he is the third in a string of kidnapping and murders that have taken place over the last two months."

The other two victims were little boys," JJ brought up two other pictures of children that resembled Justin. The first victim was Martin Crowley, who was taken from Pinewood Park about five miles away from Lakeside Mall. The second child was taken from a King supermarket three miles from the park. The first victim was found in the King supermarket. The second victim was found in the parking lot of Lakeside Mall. They were the same age as Justin."

"He's kidnapping them, killing them and leaving at the sites of his next victim. That's either planning -"

"Or he's trying to throw us off the trail." Morgan interrupted Rossi.

"JJ… How were the first two victims killed?" Hotch asked.

"The first was beaten, and the second victim was beaten and showed signs of shaken baby syndrome."

"Oh my God…" Garcia whispered. "How can anyone do that to such sweet little boys?"

"That's what we're going to find out mama." Morgan said.

"The jet in one hour," Hotch said, getting up to leave.

Everyone left the room except for Reid who was staring at the photos of the three little boys on the wall and JJ who was collecting files. She shut off the projector and turned to Reid. "Hey… You okay?"

"Hm…"

"You're usually the first one out of the room when we have a hot case. Yet you're sitting here looking at these sweet little boys."

"Oh right… I'll just go get my bag."

"Hey," She blocked his way out of the conference room. "I'm your friend remember."

"I - How do you do this?" He gestured at the files. "Um… doesn't it g-get to you."

"Yes… of course it does. Reid, being a parent will make this job hell!"

"That's encouraging!"

"I'm not trying to be flippant Spence. Look, if I tell you something, it goes no further."

"Of course…"

"When we were chasing after Brown in the anthrax case, there was the media and communication's blackout. It's procedure that we couldn't call our families or our friends. I broke that procedure and called Will."

"You did?"

"Yeah… Will didn't answer. I left a message just asking how they were. In the end, I couldn't just blurt it out over the telephone. If Will had answered the phone, I would have told him about the anthrax and told him to get out of town. I wouldn't have hesitated for a second."

"Why are you telling me this?"

"Because I know how you feel. Henry is the most important thing to me, next to Will. My perspective on life and this job has changed because of them. It's something that you'll come to realize about Emily. That's why family makes this job a little less like hell"

"I asked her to marry me."

"Oh Spence… That's so great." She hugged him. "When's the big day?"

"We haven't decided yet. Look, I was going to tell everyone, but we wanted to do it together."

"Understood, my lips are sealed."

"I sort of blurted it out to Garcia too."

JJ smiled. "Oh… Well, let's go get this guy and you can tell the rest of the team."

They walked out of the room together. "I need to go call Emily."

"I'm off to call Will."

"This job plays hell with your personal life."

"Yep… It's something you have to get used to Spence." JJ reached up and ruffled the hair on the side of his head.

----

Emily sat down on the couch with Aaron in her arms. "Let's get to work on your baby book." She said to the baby who was awake and looking up at her with his father's eyes.

"I'm never going to be able to do anything sneaky or wrong again with you around. You have his eyes and it's like he's watching me all the time." She teased the baby.

Aaron waved his fists in the air and cooed up at her. "Right… Get to work on the photos."

Helga had collected all the pictures Emily had printed out from Spencer's digital camera. He'd argued that they should keep everything on line. Emily had argued for making a physical scrapbook because computers crash all the time. To which Reid had responded that they had Garcia to retrieve them if something like that happened. To which Emily had told him that Garcia wasn't their personal computer tech, she belonged to the FBI. Reid had replied by reminding her that no one owned Garcia.

Emily laughed at the argument that seemed so unimportant right now. She paged through the photos to find the ones they'd taken in Las Vegas.

"See… That's your grandmother. She loves you so much."

Aaron cooed at his mother's voice, his eyes never leaving her face as she touched the photograph.

"She loves you very much," Emily, repeated, "She was willing to give you up to protect you. You don't have to worry about it though. We figured out a way for you to get to know her while you grow up."

He reached out and grabbed her finger as her hand moved to pick up another picture. The tiny hand held on tight as she looked down at him, the pictures forgotten. His fingers were tiny replicas of his father's fingers. Would he become a magician like his dad?

"Are you going to like magic like daddy?" She asked him.

His eyes were still fixed to her face as though she were his whole universe. They were like Spencer's when he focused so completely on the facts of a case, or the pages of a new book.

"What will you be?' She whispered to Aaron.

He let go of her hands and shut his eyes. The spell was broken for the moment, before a tear could fall from her eyes.

"Why don't we put you down in the swing while mommy works on the book?"

She put him in the swing and set it to rocking gently as Sophie ran into the room. The cat jumped up on the sofa and into Emily's lap as soon as she sat down.

"Hey there… I've been ignoring you." Emily began to pet the cat.

Sophie meowed very softly.

"I'm sorry… How about we get you a treat?"

The cat jumped out of her lap and ran out of the room.

"See… I knew you understand English." She called after the cat. "Alright, hold your horses." She added when the cat meowed from the kitchen.

Her phone buzzed, as she was halfway to the kitchen.

"You have to go," She said into the phone as her heart sank.

"_How did you know?"_

"I just did…"

"_I don't want to go." _

"I know!"

"_I have to go. Emily, we have to go find a missing baby." _

"Oh God…"

"_I don't know if I can do this." _

She sat down at the table. Sophie wound around her legs, meowing loudly as her owner ignored her.

"You can do it Spencer. I know you can."

"_It's little boys this time." _

She closed her eyes against the images that invaded her head.

"It'll be okay baby. I know you'll find the creep and take him down."

"_What if I don't," _He sounded so unsure.

"You will Spencer. When you get back, Aaron and I will be waiting for you."

"_I love you Emily." _

"Stay safe sweetie. I love you too."

She put her phone back in her jeans pocket. Sophie batted a paw at her leg and ran off in disappointment when Emily didn't give treats despite all her tricks.

Aaron slept peacefully in his swing when she went back to the living room and picked up the rest of the pictures. The photo on top was the one Dianna had taken of Emily with Spencer and Aaron. They all looked so happy.

"Well baby boy… It looks like you and I are on our own tonight!"


	17. Chapter 17

_**Disclaimer: see my profile**_

Cathy Merlin flipped through her baby book. Her ears were deaf to the words of the two FBI agents that wanted to ask her questions. Why were they here? She should cooperate, but her mind couldn't grab onto that and force her to concentrate.

Justin was just a tiny baby. Who wanted to hurt him? Why would someone take him from her? She was a good mother. She'd only turned her back once and he was gone, stroller and all. How did that happen in this day and age? The police were supposed to protect you.

"… Tell us your movements earlier today, Ms. Merlin."

"What?" Tears were running down her face. She hated crying in front of strangers. It wasn't hospitable

_Remember what your mother always said, 'Decorum in the face of tragedy is the most important thing.'_

She told her mother's voice in her head to shut up.

"I went to the mall because I needed to pick up Justin's pictures from 'Kiddie Kandids.' It was just for a minute. They had the pictures. I looked at them with Justin right next to me."

"What happened next?" Hotch asked.

"I decided that since we were there, I'd see if a dress I'd seen in the window of Layne Bryant's was still on sale. It was… I took it off the rack and looked at it in the mirror. I had my back turned for just a couple of minutes. When I turned around Justin was gone. There were people in the store. How could someone just walk out with him?"

Her voice was getting very loud. Her mother said it wasn't polite to shout, but she couldn't help it. This was her baby.

"Cathy…" The young blond woman next to her put a hand on her shoulder. It was a comforting touch that made her feel cared for and warm. "This wasn't your fault."

"How do you know? You don't know what it's like to lose a child!" She shouted.

"Ms Merlin…" Hotch began.

"It's alright Hotch."

JJ turned to Cathy and clutched her hand. "I don't know what it's like to lose a child, but I am a mother and I've worked these cases before. I know some of what you must be going through."

"I'm sorry," She held on tightly to JJ's hand. "I didn't know."

"It's okay. Just tell Agent Hotchner everything you can remember."

_Everything I remember… I can't forget it! _

"We went into the store. I found the dress I'd been looking at for a few weeks. You see…. It's my birthday next week and I wanted to treat myself. I don't have any family but Justin…"

She couldn't make her voice work without trembling. Tears fell like slow rain on a windowpane. She couldn't seem to stop them.

'I j-just w-wanted a t-treat for m-myself. I h-held it up t-to look at it. Justin w-was right n-next to me."

She felt the squeeze of the nice blond agent's hand. The woman was smiling kindly at her and it made the inside of her throat hurt.

"I d-decided to b-buy it b-because I knew it f-fit. I t-turned around and Justin w-was g-gone."

"Do you remember anyone around you?" JJ asked.

"N-no… There were a few people looking at dresses."

The effort of remembering exactly what happened seemed to make the tears go away. Her hands still shook inside the grip of the kind woman agent, but the pain in her throat was going away.

"Do you know how it is when you shop and you don't really notice other people?" Cathy asked JJ.

"Yeah… I know what you mean."

"JJ, would you talk to Cathy while Dave and I take a look around the house. It's okay if we do that?" The nice good-looking agent asked.

"Y-yes…"

The agent named JJ began to speak again and it was okay. "Did you feel anyone looking at you? You know… the hair on the back of the neck feeling."

"No… I didn't. I should have paid better attention. I'm a t-terrible m-mother."

"You're a great mom," the nice agent tried to say. It was all something to make her feel better.

"I'm not… I let someone take my baby." She began to cry again.

"My team will find him."

Cathy looked up and saw the truth. This agent would try, but there was no way to guarantee anything. Her heart sank. How could she go on without her son?

"You have to help us Cathy. Justin needs you to be strong."

The words were like a slap! "Okay… Um I remember thinking as I was holding the dress up to the mirror that someone was watching me. I didn't think about it because, well, I'm plus size and I always feel like someone is watching me when I go out. People are cruel and sometime they say things. I guess I got used to ignoring the feeling. I should have paid attention."

The nice agent hugged her. "People are very cruel to what they see as not perfect. I have a very good friend at home. She helps us find people. She's brilliant. She's also beautiful like you. She never lets anyone get her down about her shape."

"It's m-my f-fault. Justin's f-father said I w-was t-too fat after the b-baby. If I tried h-harder to l-lose weight, w-we could've g-gone to another s-store."

"Don't say that, "JJ said. "You don't know what could have happened in another store."

"I don't know w-what to d-do!"

"We'll help you through this."

She wanted to believe JJ, but she'd seen the news about the other babies. They'd only been gone three days before they were found dead. If Justin were found dead, she'd die too.

----

Reid picked up his cup of coffee, taking a large gulp before realizing that it was cold. He almost spit it out, but it would have meant messing up his notes and the half-finished profile he was trying to put together. He swallowed with a grimace just as Morgan put his phone on speaker.

"Garcia dug up some info for us."

"Good… I'm getting nowhere here." Reid laid his marker to one side and slid into a chair at the conference table.

They'd been set up in one of the large conference rooms at the precinct by the watch commander and Detective Kendra Brady. She looked up from her file as their colorful friend began to speak.

"Okay boys and girl, I didn't find any connection between the victims. Right now it appears that they were all taken by random chance."

"Not what I wanted to hear baby-girl."

"You doubt me angel face. I think I've proved myself by now."

Reid bit the inside of his lip to keep from laughing at the look on Detective Brady's face at their banter.

"Stop bragging mama and get on with it."

"I love it when you order me around sugar. Seriously, I have some rather interesting info on Justin Merlin's father. His name is Dean Richards. He's been arrested a few times for various crimes including assault. Unfortunately, he's managed to wiggle out of his jail cell more than once. Mostly because his father is the owner of Richard's Consolidated Industries. He's a big contributor to his alma mater Harvard. His son didn't make it out of college. Dean dropped out at twenty. He met Cathy when she worked at a student hangout on campus. She took a restraining order out on him a month ago."

"I'll let Hotch and Rossi know."

"That's all I have for now."

"Thanks baby-girl."

"Ta ta for now."

Morgan slapped his phone shut and sighed. "We should go talk to Richards."

"That won't be possible." Detective Brady said. "Dean Richards is well known because of his father's influence. He flew the coop at the same time the restraining order was issued. The word is that Cathy gave him back the engagement ring she'd been wearing for months. The police were never called in, but I'm sure he was beating her too. She was finally smart enough to get out of the relationship."

"Do you know where Richards is now?" Morgan inquired.

"No… I assume it's London, but I'll get Interpol on it. We verified where he was when his son was taken. He might have seen the other kidnappings as an opportunity to grab his son and have it blamed on someone else."

Morgan smiled at the tall, dark haired beauty that was Detective Brady. "You sure you're not a profiler."

She got pink in the cheeks. "No, I just took notes the last time Agent Gideon was here for a seminar."

"Oh…"

Her dark eyes looked curiously at Morgan, "Did I say something wrong?"

"No, Gideon retired a couple of years ago. I guess we still miss him a little." He looked at Reid who gave him a look in return.

"Oh, I'm sorry."

"It's not your fault. You couldn't have known."

She smiled at him and Morgan grinned back. "Buy you a cup of bad cop coffee?" He asked.

"Sure…"

They left Reid alone as if he was not there. He let himself laugh. Emily was going to love this. He looked back down at his map. His fingers moved over the site of the abductions and the marks he'd made with red and blue markers.

"Something's not right… What is it?" He asked the empty room.

---

Emily insisted on helping Helga clean up. "If I don't do something around this house, I'm never going to take off the baby weight."

"You are not fat Ms. Emily. You are jus ze right size for ze Doctor. He thinks you are beautiful, ja. I am seeing ze way he looks at you."

"Spencer's not like other men."

"Zat is true. He is not like every man I know. He is nice and so polite. He does not like that I make him eat, ja."

Emily choked on the glass of water she'd got from the fridge. "That's not true Helga, he loves your cooking. "

"Aw… you do not haf to lie for ze doctor. I am knowing how he thinks. Et es in ze eyes. He is having very old eyes."

"Yeah he does, but he really likes you, it's just that…"

Emily trailed off, not sure, if she should tell their housekeeper that Reid hated to be mothered by the kind German.

"He is vanting his mother, not ze housekeeper."

Emily picked up one of the pots that Helga was washing, as they couldn't be put in the dishwasher. She swiped at them with the drying cloth while thinking hard.

"Et es okay Ms. Emily. I understand… He is vanting his mother very much. She is sick and can't come home. Et vas very gut that he vent to this Las Vegas to see her. He es much happier now."

"Yes…"

"Gut, then I vill not be such the mother."

"You don't have to stop Helga. He just has to get used to having you here all the time. No one has ever taken care of him until now. It's a new concept for him."

"Ze poor Liebchen… I vill make him some strudel for vhen he is coming home."

"He'll like that," Emily smirked.

"You are missing him very much, ja. It is not right to go the first day to work and then so far away."

Helga shook her head and Emily suddenly thought that if she could, the housekeeper would tell off Hotch and the FBI for taking Spencer away. It nearly made her laugh.

Her phone rang. It was Spencer. "Excuse me Helga."

"I am alright. Go talk to ze doctor." She ordered.

Emily left the kitchen and headed into the living room. "Hey Spence… Is everything okay?"

"No… I'm stuck and I don't know what to do Emily."

"Well…" She sat down, pulled the throw off the back of the couch and wrapped it tight around her shoulders. "Talk to me!"


	18. Chapter 18

**_Disclaimer: see my profile_**

**_A/n hey all... Here's the next chapter. Once again, thanks to you all for your support of this story. And to my wonderful beta REIDFANATIC for all her help. Enjoy!_**

Emily left the kitchen and headed into the living room. "Hey Spence… Is everything okay?"

"_No… I'm stuck and I don't know what to do Emily."_

"Well…" She sat down, pulled the throw off the back of the couch and wrapped it tight around her shoulders. "Talk to me!"

So he told her about the case as far as it had moved in the last hours. Talking to someone who understood his job and the stresses he felt was one thing. Talking it through with Emily, the one he loved above all others, except for Aaron, was something else indeed. She knew him better than he knew himself.

"You don't have enough to find the next drop sight." She was saying.

"_Yeah…" _

"You need another victim to establish a pattern."

"_Yes, that's what I'm afraid of," _he whispered. _"I don't know if I can handle seeing a sweet little baby boy at a crime scene. The pictures are bad enough."_

"You're afraid you'll see Aaron when you look at them."

"_Yeah." _

"It's okay baby… I understand more than you know.'

"_I think I have some idea." _He choked out, trying to maintain his composure.

"You haven't found Justin yet. As far as you know, he's still alive."

"_We think we have at least another day." _

"I've seen you pull off miracles in less time than that," Emily reminded him.

He couldn't help but think: What if he were cold or hungry? What if the un-sub was hurting him? What if the person that took him was killing him?

"Spencer?"

"_What?"_

"He's still alive. You have to believe in that."

"_I'll try." _

"I believe in you. Now what does the profile tell you?"

He felt a smile pull his mouth up. The absolute faith in her voice helped him feel balanced.

"_The un-sub is definitely female. She's young, probably in her twenties or thirties. She's white. She has her own home, as she needs privacy for taking the kids. She probably lost a child recently. _

"Why kill the babies Spence?"

"_If she had a child, the death may have been an accident. The more likely scenario is that it was the result of abuse that got out of hand."_

"How could someone do that to not one, but three babies?"

"_I wish I knew… Maybe the fantasy doesn't last when she takes the baby. She thinks it's her own child like the unsub in Las Vegas, remember." _

"Yeah…"

"_I understand every kind of mental condition ever diagnosed. I've studied them all. I just can't understand how someone could hurt a baby." _

"You said the babies were brought back to a place they would be found very quickly. They were clean, dressed up and wrapped in new blankets, not tossed aside like garbage. It speaks to remorse."

"_Yeah…" _Reid finally sat down in the empty conference room, completing his pacing circuit around and around the room. _"Or maybe the park and the mall have a special meaning for her." _

"I agree Spencer. Look, Aaron is crying for his supper."

He could hear the faint cry of his son through the phone. It did something inside that made him refocus in an instant. He was sitting there in an unfamiliar conference room, looking at terrible pictures and working with his maps, for Aaron. All of it, from now on, was for his son.

"_Okay… Go feed him. Thanks Emily. I love you both so much. Kiss him for me." _

"I will. Who's going to kiss me for you?" She said playfully.

"_I will when I get home."_

"You better!" She hung up on him.

He put his phone in his pocket and went looking for Hotch. It was time for them to give the detectives and the cops a working profile.

---

Emily paced the living room rocking Aaron in her arms. "What's wrong my precious one?"

Aaron had been screaming his lungs out for four hours. He had been fed and his diaper changed. She'd wrapped him up in his favorite blanket and tried to give him his binky.

His poor little face was beet red and tears cascaded down his cheeks like rain on the windows during a bad storm.

Sweat beaded up on her forehead as she paced back and forth across the room. "Come on little man. It's way past your bedtime. Please go to sleep for mommy." She pleaded with him.

She headed up to the nursery with the baby screaming in her arms. "I don't know what to do for you baby."

Aaron cried and squirmed around in her arms as she tried to place the pacifier in his mouth. He angrily shook his head from side to side.

"Aaron Spencer Reid… Stop this crying now!" She shouted, losing what was left of her patience.

The baby stopped, looked up at her with something like surprise, and then hitched in a breath to cry. Tears formed in her eyes and her heart pounded painfully in her chest. "Oh God... I'm sorry baby." She put him down in the cradle and left the room.

Her hands were shaking so badly she couldn't make the doorknob to the bathroom work the first two times she tried. It finally slammed open with a bang to the wall next to the sink. She ran to the toilet and threw up the supper she'd eaten just hours ago.

The taste of acid in her mouth made more tears gather in the corner of her eyes. The smell of vomit twisted her stomach, but she couldn't do anything but dry heave till her stomach trembled from the exertion.

She flushed the toilet and went to the sink. Her face was pale and her eyes had dark circles under them. It had only been four hours and she'd lost her temper with her son. Oh God… What if she'd hurt him. There had to be a way to get through it. Spencer had done it on his own. She could do it too. She rinsed out her mouth and dried the tears on her face.

When she opened the door she could hear her baby crying. She'd left him alone in a moment of complete panic. She didn't deserve to be his mother. "Think…" She said to herself. "What does he need?"

The realization hit her as she went back to his nursery and saw the mobile of over his crib. "I know baby… I promise to make it better."

She rushed to the hamper and pulled out one of Spencer's dress shirts she'd placed on top of the dirty laundry just that morning. She pulled off her pajama top and replaced it with his shirt. She picked up Aaron and then her cell phone.

"_Reid…" _He answered with a very distracted air.

"Spencer, I'm sorry to bother you, but I need -"

"_Emily? What's wrong? Is something wrong with Aaron? I can hear him crying."_

"He misses you. He won't stop crying. I think he realizes that you're not here."

"_What can I do?"_

"Would you just talk to him? You put him down every night and I think he misses that."

"_Okay…" _

She turned up the volume on the phone and held it up to the baby's ear.

"_Hey little man… You need to be good and go to sleep for mommy. She loves you very much baby and so do I." _

Aaron stopped crying and snuggled into his mother's arms with his face to the shirt she wore that had his scent all over it.

"_Be a good boy for mommy and rest. Daddy will be home very soon. I promise…" _

Emily pulled the phone away from Aaron. He seemed to have fallen asleep very quickly.

"It worked Spencer. I guess he really missed you."

"_Hey… He loves you too Emily." _

"I didn't think this would be so hard." She whispered as she put Aaron down in the crib.

"_You're the one that's always reminding me that we're in this together." _

"I did something really bad."

"_What!" _He squeaked in her ear.

"I yelled at him. I lost my temper. Afterwards all I could think about were those poor little boys that lost their lives because someone wanted to replace a child that they probably killed in temper. I can't bear to think that it could happen to me."

"_You're not going to harm our baby Emily. I believe in you." _

She left the room and shut the door as quietly as she could. "I wish you were here."

"_Me too…" _

"I'm sorry to interrupt you at work."

"_It's okay. I was getting more coffee." _

"You drink too much. You won't sleep."

"_I don't want to go to sleep without you." _

"I love you so much Spencer."

"_It's going to be okay Emily. You'll be fine. I'm going to go and find Justin so I can come back to you." _

"By baby."

"_Love you Emily." _

She closed the phone and sank down the wall to the floor. Spencer was too forgiving of her. She'd nearly raised her hand against the baby. She shouldn't be forgiven for that. Tears returned to her eyes and she cried until her throat was raw and her eyes burned. Her head thumped in reaction to all the emotion that rushed through her body. She was a bad mother and nothing that Spencer could say was going to change that.

She fell into a fitful sleep there on the floor outside the baby's room clutching Spencer's shirt close around her body.


	19. Chapter 19

_**Disclaimer: see my profile**_

_**A/m he guys... Thanks again for all your wonderful support of this story. Here's the next chapter. **_

Reid jerked awake when Hotch sat down next to him on the plane. All of the lights, except for the one over Dave's head at the front of the cabin, were off. The golden glow illuminated the front half of the cabin and left the back half in muted darkness. Morgan and JJ were asleep in their seats and Rossi was reading a book with his head nodding.

"Hey… Didn't mean to wake you," Hotch said to him.

"It's okay sir. I was trying to stay awake. I guess I nodded off."

"Don't apologize for sleeping Reid. You need it. You did great work today."

"It was all of us Hotch."

"You're the one that came up with her motives." Hotch reminded him with a proud smile.

"It was Garcia that gave us her name."

"True, but you gave her what to look for. How did you come up with the idea that the kidnapper was someone that had a child and had caused the baby's death?"

Reid blushed. "I was stuck, but Emily called me. It was Aaron that made me realize the truth."

"Oh, how did he do that?" Hotch asked in an amused tone.

"Well, he was very unhappy with Emily last night. See, he got used to me putting him to bed every night and when I was gone the first night, he got very cranky and wouldn't sleep for Emily. She called me and I talked to him. She said he missed me."

"I can believe that Reid. You're a great dad. He loves you very much and misses you."

"How do you do it sir? How do you go away and come back to your family." Hotch's face became very stern again and Reid said, "I'm sorry if I overstepped."

"It's okay… I didn't do the best job of being dad and husband. Nevertheless, I can't take all the blame Reid. I understand now that Haley had a part to play and she didn't play it well either. It was hard for me to see that. I know that you and Emily won't go the way I did with Haley. You've already been through so much and you love each other very much. So if talking to your son can help in what you do, keep doing it."

"I am… I told Emily I'd call every night we were gone, so that Aaron knows that I love him."

"I think that's a great idea."

"Hotch… Do you think Sarah Corey would have killed her own baby if someone would've been there to help her?"

"I don't know Reid. She was a single mom with a child that didn't have an even temperament like Aaron. I spoke with the head of CPS and they told me they had a record of two calls from her asking for help. He said they couldn't get involved till she actually hurt her child."

"That's crazy sir… I can't believe that they don't understand that some parents need help. Wouldn't their jobs be easier if they helped before a child is hurt or even killed?"

Hotch sighed and looked out the window at the darkness around them. He always felt like they were just floating unsupported when the jet swept through the black sky of night.

"I think our priorities as a society are sadly lacking. We should do everything we can to protect our children. The fact that they released Sarah Corey from the state institution after only seven years makes me question the reliability of those charged with the care of the mentally ill. I know she had post partum depression when she killed her baby, but I think she should have received a larger sentence. We need to value the lives of our children more than we do. They're our future."

Reid listened with surprise at his boss's impassion speech. "I'm glad we found her before she could hurt Justin." He reminded his mentor.

"Yes… It makes it all worth the work and the worry." Hotch agreed.

"How is Jack?" Reid asked, grateful to change the subject, even though the thought of the smile on Cathy Merlin's face would help keep the nightmares at bay for a while.

"He's good. Haley has finally eased up and let me see him as often as I want. She's getting remarried."

"Really," Reid squeaked.

Hotch's lips quivered. "It's okay Reid. I've moved on. If she's happy, then I'm okay with it. Jack seems to like Don very much."

"Is that okay," Reid asked boldly.

Hotch studied his young team member, "Do you mean, am I jealous of the stepfather?"

"Yes," Reid quavered at his friend's scowl.

"I won't lie and say that I'm thrilled, but Jack likes Donald very much. He's an architect with a nine-to-five job that makes Haley very happy."

"It's still hard though," Reid said.

"Yeah… But, I have Jack in my life and for now that's enough."

Hotch picked up his paperwork and began to write. Reid took the hint and put his head back against the glass of the window. He could still see the moment when Hotch had given Justin to his mother and how she'd cried. He hoped her life would be easier now that she had her baby back and his abusive father was three thousand miles away.

His heart had finally stopped pounding. The only thing he could think of while looking for Justin, was Emily and Aaron. How would he feel if anything happened to them? His eyes closed against the darkness that pressed in on the jet and he fell asleep. Soon, he'd be back home with his family.

---

Emily woke up with a start at five in the morning. The bed beside her was cold. Spencer had thought that he'd be home that morning, but he didn't know the exact time. For the second night in a row, he'd called her to speak to Aaron at bedtime. It had been a big help in getting Aaron down to sleep. She smiled to herself thinking of the things Spencer had said to the baby.

Aaron began to cry, as if her thoughts about his father had woken him. She went to the nursery and picked him up.

"I think someone is hungry and needs a diaper change."

She took him back to the bed and sat down. He latched on eagerly to the offered breast and began to feed. She ran a finger over his head and through the fine brown wavy hair that was the exact texture of his father's hair. "You're going to be a fine man." She whispered. "I know you'll be just like daddy when you grow up."

The baby fed enthusiastically until he had his fill. She burped him and changed his diaper. He was asleep before she put him back in his crib. She decided on a shower while he slept and she waited for the call that would tell her that Spencer was on his way home.

The hot water took the chill out of waking up early in the morning. When she'd looked out the window, it had been snowing very hard. She hoped it wouldn't delay Spencer from coming home.

---

Reid opened the front door as quietly as he could. It was five thirty in the morning and still very dark outside. The snow was coming down hard, but the roads were still clear, as it had only been snowing for a few minutes. He shut the door and reactivated the alarm system.

His ready bag went onto the chair next to the table in the entryway. He went to his office and put his Glock into the gun safe in the closet. He slid off his shoes and made his way up the stairs on tiptoe. The door to the nursery stood half closed in the darkness of the night. His eyes found it in the golden glow of the hallway nightlight Emily had set up for the when Reid had gone back to work.

His son was sleeping peacefully in his crib when Reid slipped inside. The nightlight in the corner of the room gave him just enough light to see the peaceful face of his son sleeping deeply under his blanket.

"Hello baby boy… Have you been good for mommy?"

The baby kicked his legs in sleep and his mouth moved in sucking motions that always touched Reid's heart to its very core.

"I missed you so much my little man."

"We missed you too." Emily whispered from behind him.

Arms came around him and lips kissed his cheek. "I missed you more than you'll know," He choked. "It was a bad one this time."

"You fought the good fight and won the day. Just like you always do. Your mother is right; we are the modern day knights of the round table."

He laughed. "She'd love to hear you say that."

"It's true! I'm so proud of you. You left us behind and you saved another baby that a mother loved with all of her heart and soul. That means something Spencer. Don't think it doesn't," She hugged him tight and her warmth spread all the way to the inner reaches of his heart.

"I know… I just realized how bad it could have been had we not found Sarah Corey. Still, I feel sorry for her. She asked for help when her own child was testing her patience and the very people the government set up to help her let her down."

"Honey… You can't think like that. We all make choices. She could have walked away. I had to with Aaron. It was what I feared the most since the day I found out I was pregnant."

He turned around in her arms and took her face in his hands. "I never doubted you for one minute. You're strong. Not everyone is as strong as you are."

"Thank you."

"For what," he asked curiously.

"For loving me and our son," She said.

"That's easy," he declared as he held her close.

"Oh it is…"

"Yes!"

Aaron began to cry just as she reached up to kiss him. "I just got him to sleep." She scolded.

"I'll stay here with him if you make me some coffee." He said hopefully.

"You and your coffee," She smacked him on the shoulder. "What would you do if they stopped growing it?"

"Don't ever say that," he said in horror as he picked up the baby.

"You're a strange man Spencer, but I'll keep you around anyway."

"If I weren't holding this baby..."

"You'd do what?" She challenged.

"Just wait till I get him back to sleep." He went to the rocker and sat down with the fussy baby.

"I'm not scared of you."

"You should be."

"Whatever," she turned to leave.

"Hey…" He called after her.

"What?"

"Love you."

"You better," she said leaving him laughing at her as she went down the hall.

It was the beginning of a beautiful new day. One that was full of promise.


	20. Chapter 20

_**Disclaimer: see my profile**_

Helga put down a bag of groceries on the kitchen table as she pushed the door closed with one foot. She set the alarm and placed the second bag on the counter top.

She was reaching into one bag and removing a package of chicken breasts she had brought for dinner that night, when a meow made her jump. She knocked her handbag to the floor. "Oh… you are a bad cat." She scolded Sophie.

The feline meowed again and jumped up onto one of the kitchen chairs.

"I haf told you, no treat until Miss Emily say you may."

Sophie stared at the tall German woman and swished her tail back and forth.

"You vill not be getting the sympathy from me with those eyes and ze tail."

Helga resumed unloading her groceries. The first bag held fresh lemons, a box of rice and a one-pound bag of flour. The second bag held bread, a dozen eggs and the latest copy of People magazine on top. She'd already brought in a quart of milk and orange juice.

The cat watched her unpack. She meowed again when Helga had turned her back. "Oh go away… Go ask Miss Emily for your treats."

Sophie stared at Helga with her bright green eyes.

"It vill not vork," Helga insisted to the cat.

The cat meowed, swished her tail and leapt down from the chair. She left the room with her tail and her head in the air.

"Zat cat!"

Helga tucked away her shopping bags and turned to survey the kitchen. The floor was her next chore, after she took the mail up to Emily.

She found her beloved employer in the master bedroom. Emily sat at the small desk Spencer had brought home for her one day. The stained and polished rosewood desk was just big enough for her to work on her baby book, and organize photos to send to Dianna.

"Gut morning Liebchen," Helga smiled.

"Hello Helga… How are you?"

"I am jus fine. I haf finished ze shopping and ze dishes from breakfast are in ze dishwasher."

"Thank you Helga… Is it very cold outside?"

"Et es cold, but the snow es not falling. Ze sun is shining very much."

"Good… I need to go out today. I need to shop for Aaron's gift to Spencer for Christmas."

"Vill you take ze tiny Liebchen with you?"

"Yes, I think getting out of the house will be good for both of us."

"Do you vant that I should make ze baby ready to go?'

"No thank you. We'll go after lunch."

"I am glad you are staying for lunch. I haf brought some sandwich rolls for you to eat."

"You read my mind Helga. You're spoiling me. How will I go back to work and face all that junk food on the run?"

"I vill alvays be here to make breakfast and dinner for you."

"True!" Emily agreed. "Spencer and I really appreciate everything you do for us everyday."

"You are my family. Vhen my girl died, I vas very sad. Zen ze Dr. Reid brought me here. Now I have ze tiny Liebchen. I am very happy, ja!"

"I'm sorry if I brought up bad memories."

"Et es alright Miss Emily. Greta vas a grown woman but she vill alvays be my little girl. Even though she es gone now."

Emily reached out, took the housekeeper's hand, and squeezed it. "I think I understand." She said softly.

"I know you do. Now, I haf to get back to my chores. Ze kitchen floor will not clean alone."

"Thanks," Emily said.

"Here is ze mail. I will haf lunch for you before you go."

"Okay…"

The housekeeper left the bedroom and went to the nursery. Sophie sat on the glider rocker and slept, just like Aaron in his crib.

Helga ignored the cat for her tiny Liebchen. She looked down at her darling sleeping peacefully in his crib in a warm and loving house. She reached in and touched his little forehead. "Sleep vell, my tiny Liebchen. Soon Dr. Reid will be home."

She left the room and went back to the kitchen with Sophie on her heels. Her family was well and happy. It was time to get back to her work.

----

Emily picked up Aaron. Lunch was over and she'd just finished dressing him. He wore a red onesie with white stripes at the collar, arms and legs. She wrapped him up in a dark blue blanket with gold stars and moons all over it. He never seemed to fuss when the blanket was near him.

"It's time to go shopping baby boy. We get to help Santa with daddy's present this year."

Aaron looked up at his mother. His mouth turned up in a slight smile, exactly like Spencer when he was feeling pleased and shy at the same time.

"You're so cute." She kissed his cheek. "Did you know you look just like daddy when you do that? You're going to break hearts just like Daddy. Yes you will!"

She tucked him into his carrier, and then draped a second blanket over it, covering him from the wind and the cold outside.

"You're gonna stay nice and toasty warm."

The winter sky was a light blue when she left the house. White clouds scuttled along, pushed by the cold front that was settling in. The breeze was very cold. It felt more like January than the middle of December. It took her breath a way as she hurried to the car with Aaron.

She put the carrier in the back seat. She pulled off the blanket, tucked it around her little boy and shut the door against the cold.

"Okay baby boy," she said as she got into the driver's seat and started the car. "Let's go to the craft store first."

---

Emily pushed Aaron's stroller along the long hallway that ran the length of Arlington's largest shopping mall. It was three pm on a Thursday two weeks before Christmas. Despite the fact that it was a workday, the mall was crowded with eager shoppers. Now it was time to shop for Helga and Garcia. She passed a clothing store and nearly ran into a familiar dark haired woman.

"Mai! What are you doing here?"

The nurse squealed at the sight of Aaron. "Oh… He's so cute!" She bounced on her heels and made cooing noises at the baby. She made a goofy face and burbled at him.

"Look at you! You're the cutest little thing I've ever seen. Look at that hair! Oh Emily, he looks just like Dr. Reid."

"I'm standing right here watching you burble like a little kid and yet somehow, I feel invisible."

"I'm sorry!" Mai hugged her friend. "Who can resist this little guy?"

"He's pretty irresistible." Emily agreed. "Everyone loves him."

Aaron waved his hands and smiled as though he understood and agreed with mommy.

"How are you?" Mai asked looking over her friend very thoroughly.

"I'm fine, looking forward to my follow-up exam in a month."

Mai grinned up at her friend. She reached into the stroller to let Aaron grab her fingers and play with them.

"Do I detect a note of impatience?"

"That's funny Mai," Emily glared at the smaller woman who wore a light violet colored winter coat with a white scarf around her neck. Blue jeans and black boots completed her look.

Mai's smile turned into a wicked grin. "Can't blame you… It must be tough sleeping in the same bed night after night with the hottest genius/FBI agent on the planet. I don't know how you do it."

"Don't make me take you down in front of my son."

"You don't scare me. We're surrounded by witnesses," Mai said while making more funny faces for Aaron.

"I'll just flash my badge." Emily retorted.

"I'll sue for false arrest."

"Har, har," Emily scowled.

"It's only another month and then you can jump his bones."

"Not in front of Aaron if you don't mind!"

"He's two months old." Mai pointed out. "He doesn't know what we're talking about."

"You never know… He could be as smart as his father."

"I don't think the world's ready for another smokin' hot genius."

"Mai!"

"Are you sure the good doc doesn't have a brother?" Mai asked hopefully.

"No… He's one of a kind. You want to get a snack with me?'

"Yeah… That really sucks though."

"The snack?" Emily asked as they headed off down the hall to the food court.

"No, that he doesn't have a brother."

"You don't need another guy. You already have one."

Mai went pink, "How do you know?"

They joined the line for cinnamon rolls. "You have a gleam in your eye and you just bought new lingerie." Emily pointed to the bag her friend was carrying.

"Everyone needs new underwear every now and again."

Emily simply stared down her friend.

"Okay geez… Are you this annoying at work?"

"I do whatever works. Give…"

"Okay! His name is Todd. He's tall, dark and handsome. He's thirty-two and just finishing his residency at Georgetown University Hospital.

They'd progressed up to the counter. Mai ordered after Emily. They took their snacks to a table in the food court next to a large potted tree.

"So what else?" Emily asked her friend impatiently.

"He's very sweet and kind. His family lives in Georgia and he plays baseball on the weekends with a bunch of guys from the hospital. He wants to go into Obstetrics."

"That's a surprise! I think you have a thing for doctors."

"Speak for yourself!"

"Does Todd know you have a crush on my fiancé?"

"Whoa… Back up my friend. Did you say fiancé?"

"Yeah… I told you?"

"No you didn't tell me. When did this happen? Where's the ring?" Mai looked at Emily's bare fingers pointedly.

"I don't have a ring."

"He asked you without a ring?"

"Well, it sort of just popped out in a heated moment."

Mai's eyebrows went up into her bangs. "Really?"

"Not that kind of heated moment." She smacked her friend's arm.

"I was just kidding. Is there trouble in paradise?"

"No! It was a very rough night!"

Mai reached out and squeezed Emily's hand. "Hey I didn't mean to butt in."

"It's okay. Spencer's fine now. We just haven't had a chance to go ring shopping."

"No problem… I'm here and at your disposal."

"Not now! I have Christmas shopping to do."

"It can wait! We need to find a ring so you can drop hints about it for Christmas."

"Spencer doesn't do hints." Emily said as she finished her cinnamon roll. "He's very literal minded."

"Whatever… Let's go look for some ice. Your hand is totally naked."

"Mai!'

"I know… Not in front of the little ears."

She popped the last of her snack into her mouth and wiped her fingers on a napkin. She turned to the baby and began cooing and making faces.

"Hurry up!" Emily ordered. "I've got lots to do today."

---

The glass case in the middle of the jewelry store was dazzling with gemstones. Emily saw white and pink diamonds, rubies, emeralds and sapphires. Some of the stones were scattered over white velvet or set in gold and platinum settings.

"Wow!" Mai said.

"Wow is right!"

"May I help you ladies?"

A very tall, thin man with dark hair and eyes approached them. He wore a goatee streaked with grey and a charcoal grey suit. His shirt was snow white and his tie blood red. He wore a large ring with a square cut ruby on his right pinky.

"My friend needs to find an engagement ring."

"Mai…" Emily turned to the sales clerk.

"My friend just got engaged. And well…" Mai winked at the man, "It sort of happened at the spur of the moment."

"Ah…" He said with a knowing smile. "And you want to shop and find something to drop hints about for Christmas."

"No!"

"Yes!"

Emily and Mai spoke at the same time.

"My name is Dominic," He said. "I'm at your service. I'm sure we can find something for a beautiful woman like you." He took Emily's arm. "Does your betrothed know how lucky he is?"

"Remove your hand or I'll -"

"Play nice Emily." Mai scolded as she pushed the stroller carrying a sleeping Aaron.

"I like a feisty woman." Dominic said.

Emily glared at him and then at Mai. "I'll get you for this."

"Yada, yada, yada," Mari said rolling her eyes.

Emily escaped only when Aaron began to cry. Dominic looked at the baby as if he was a dangerous object and gave Mai a weak smile.

"We have to go now." Emily was saying. "Thanks for your help."

"It was nothing," He actually bowed to them.

They left laughing like crazy. "Saved be the crying baby." Emily said as they looked for the restrooms.

"Not before we found the perfect ring. The rest is up to you."

"I'm telling you it won't work." Emily insisted. "Unless I show him a detailed picture, he won't get it."

"I have faith in you. Let's get Aaron changed and we can go finish your shopping."


	21. Chapter 21

_**Disclaimer: see my profile**_

Garcia placed the newest addition to her Christmas decorations, front and center on the tree. The tree was real. She hated fake trees. What they made up for in convenience, they lacked in fresh pine smell and that made all the difference to her.

It stood in one corner of her apartment with a white mantle of fake snow beneath it. The golden lights that wrapped around the tree glowed in the low light of the room. The ornaments were a mismatched hodge-podge of colorful souvenirs collected since her parents had died. Her latest acquisition was a gift from Kevin.

She stood back to admire the effect of the lights, the ornaments, and the tinsel. The last ornaments seemed to stand out from the background. They were balls with illustrations and text from "A visit from St Nick." They'd been painted by Thomas Kincaid and were exquisite. They seemed to glow with an inner light as the lights of the tree hit them. She smiled at the effect and made a mental note to be sure to 'thank,' Kevin for the superb addition to her Christmas decorations.

The next job was to place all the wrapped gifts she'd bought and made for her family and friends under the tree. She was just adding the last of them when her phone rang.

"Merry Christmas!" She said brightly.

_"Christmas is two weeks away."_ Her caller retorted.

"So… It never hurts to be cheerful."

_"That's great! I need your help."_

"What can the Goddess of all things electronic do for you, angel face?"

_"We've got a major problem on our hands."_

"Problems are my specialty."

_"You might not be so chipper after you hear the problem. It has to do with a certain hot genius doctor."_

"You came to the right place!"

_"Did you know that Dr. Reid asked our friend Emily to marry him?"_

"Yes…"

_"Did you know she doesn't have a ring yet?'_

The kettle of water Garcia was placing on the stove nearly slid out of her hands at the pronouncement.

"You're kidding!"

_"No…"_

"I can't say I'm surprised."

_"We have to do something."_

"What do you suggest?"

_"I have an idea. I need your help to pull it off."_

"Talk to me!"

----

Morgan slammed the door shut that led to his mudroom. Clooney ran ahead of him. The dog began whining and scratching at the door to the kitchen

"Hold on big fella. I need to get rid of these boots."

The dog whined impatiently as his master removed the wet and muddy boots that he'd worn to run in the snow. He took the boots to a sink that was set into the floor near the door and under a rack for coats. He cleaned the boots and left them there to air dry. His coat was removed next and he hung it on the rack over his boots.

Clooney was still scratching eagerly at the door when Morgan opened it for him. "The food's not going anywhere." He called after the dog as Clooney hurried into the kitchen.

He followed the mutt to the pantry. Clooney wagged his tail so hard it was a blur. "Here you go big fella."

Morgan was putting on a sweater with his favorite pair of jeans when his phone rang. "Morgan?"

"_Hey hot stuff." _

"Baby girl. To what do I owe the pleasure?"

"_Just checking in on my favorite G-man." _

"Garcia?"

"_What? I can't call just to talk?"_

"No! You've got some big secret you're dying to spill. I can hear it in your voice."

"_I hate profilers!" _She whined.

"Except for me sweetness. You love your hot stuff."

"_Be serious Derek. We have a major problem to fix." _

"Are you in trouble baby-girl?"

"_Don't go all overprotective on me. The problem isn't with me. It's with Reid." _

"You're overreacting mama. Reid is great. He's got a home, a beautiful woman and a kid he's over the moon for. Not to mention he's back at work. He's fine."

"_I'm not saying he isn't happy Morgan. Just listen for a minute." _

He went to his couch and lay down as she laid it all out for him.

"_So what do you think?"_

"I think we should stay out of it, Garcia."

"_How can you say that?"_

"Because Reid is a grown man. He doesn't need us to trick him like a fifteen year old kid on his first date."

"_But you have to admit that if we leave it to Emily… He'll never get the hints." _

Morgan tossed Clooney's bouncy ball up and down, catching it as it arched down to the couch.

"Why do I have to be the one to pull this off?"

"_Because he'll know something's up if I talk to him." _

"I'm still trying to wrap my head around him getting married."

"_Pay attention Derek. I'm going to send you a jpeg of the ring from the shop's website. Memorize it!"_

"Shall I burn the evidence when I'm done?"

"_Cute…" _

"I still don't think we should interfere."

"_Morgan!"_

"I'm going to help. If it backfires, I'm telling Reid it was your idea."

"_My genius junior G-man doesn't scare me."_

"Scoff all you like mama, I've seen him pissed."

"_He'll thank me!"_

"Okay… I'll take care of it."

"_Thanks handsome, you won't regret it." _

Morgan set his phone aside with a sigh. He looked at the dog who'd found his rawhide bone and chewing enthusiastically.

"I think this idea might come back to bite me in the ass, Clooney."

The dog grinned at his master, and then went back to his rawhide.

"A lot of help you are!"

----

"Lunch finally arrived," JJ, announced.

She entered the conference room with Reid in tow. They carried plastic bags full of fragrant Chinese food. They piled the bags on one end of the table. JJ unloaded the cartons of food while Reid searched the bags.

"Your fork's right here." JJ tossed it at him.

He caught it clumsily. "There are six hundred and four accidents a year involving eating utensils."

"Yeah JJ… It's all good fun till someone loses an eye." Morgan quipped.

"Hey… He's the one that can't use chopsticks!"

"People…" Garcia called. "Can we eat please?"

"Sure thing mama!"

"It took the delivery guy long enough," Rossi complained as he dug out several egg rolls from a carton.

"It's snowing out there," Reid, pointed out.

"I thought delivery guys are like the postmen, "Neither rain, nor snow, or sleet will keep me from my appointed rounds," Morgan asked.

Hotch almost smiled as Dave passed him the paper wrapped chicken. "I don't think delivery guys take their jobs quite that seriously." He said.

"You never know."

"So how's Christmas shopping for Henry," Garcia changed the subject.

"Will's gone crazy with the toys." JJ said. Hotch just raised an eyebrow at her. She flushed a pretty pink color. "Okay, so I went a bit overboard too."

"I only know because I do the same thing every year with Jack. I promise myself I won't spoil him and every year I break that promise."

"Kids are too cute to resist," Garcia sighed.

"Some of them aren't," Rossi said ominously.

They all looked at Reid who was happily disposing of his cashew chicken with an actual fork. "What?" He said, swallowing a mouthful.

"What did you buy for my little sweetheart?" Garcia asked.

"Oh… Um, I found a book that said babies should have toys that stimulate the brain and motor skills. So I was thinking I -"

"Hold on man… You're over thinking this way too much."

"Yeah… Kids don't care about things like manual dexterity or brainpower. At that age, they mostly want something to stick in their mouths."

"What have you got so far?" Rossi asked.

"Um… Do I have to answer that?'

"What about Emily?" JJ asked.

Reid only looked at her with pink ears.

"Ah man, you need help. You and I are going shopping after work today."

"I don't need help Morgan!"

"No arguments!"

"Actually," Hotch began. "We're finished with all the consults JJ had for us today. We don't have anything pressing, so why don't we all take off early?"

"But -"

"Come on kid. Let's go find some killer gifts for that family of yours."

----

The mall was even more crowded than the day Emily and Mai had shopped together. People milled around kiosks set up in the center of the wide hallway. The vendors sold everything from cell phone accessories, to Green Tea, to solid silver jewelry.

A small boy in a green coat with blond hair nearly knocked Reid over as he pushed past them. A harried looking blond woman carrying several shopping bags in both hands followed him.

"Jerry…" She yelled, "I said no more video games. You have enough."

The kid stopped and scowled at his mother. "Aw mom…"

"I said no! It's not up for discussion or negotiation."

Morgan watched them disappear into the crowd. "See what you get to look forward to." Morgan said loudly over the noise of the crowd.

Reid observed the people moving around him with the air of a scientist watching the results of a particularly interesting experiment. "Yeah…" He said. "Shopping this close to Christmas with a child should be discouraged. Look at how easy it would be for a child to be separated from a parent. It's a security nightmare."

Morgan stared at his young friend. "I'm not talking about that!" He steered Reid around the corner and down a new, marginally less crowded hallway. "I was talking about you dealing with a child that wants something you don't want them to have."

"Aaron's two months old. I don't think I have to worry about that yet."

"I didn't say you had to." Morgan shook his head.

"I'm sure by the time Aaron is that boy's age, we will have established the kind of relationship that will make it easy to say no because Aaron will understand the logic of his parents decisions." Reid said proudly.

"Kid… Didn't your mother every tell you no?'

"Why would she?'

Morgan pinched the bridge of his nose. "Did you ever ask for toys that she didn't want to buy for you?"

"No… I liked books. Mom never said no to books."

"Right… No dinosaur toys for you."

"You don't have to be so sarcastic."

"Yes I do! Here's the store I was looking for."

Morgan pulled Reid into the shop. Reid looked around, then at his friend. "Why are we in a jewelry store?"

"It's for Emily!"

Reid went pink. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"Come on man… Garcia told me about your proposal. I'm hurt that you didn't tell me." Morgan faked a hurt face.

"We were going to tell everyone together."

"You already told Garcia!" Morgan pointed out as he led the young man to the display that had the ring Emily wanted.

"Yeah… um, I told JJ too. "

"Wow, you really can't keep a secret."

"It wasn't my fault!"

"Sure, now look at this one."

Morgan pointed to the ring next to the one Emily wanted. Reid looked at it and shook his head. "It's too big."

"I thought girls liked big," Morgan said, playing devils' advocate."

"Not Emily, she hates anything that makes her look like she came from a lot of money."

"Okay… How about that one?" Morgan asked, pointing to one at the opposite end of the case."

"Emily doesn't like rubies."

"Every woman likes rubies!'

"Not Emily, and besides, you don't put rubies on a wedding ring. It's too gaudy."

"Since when did you become an expert?"

"Since I thought about asking her to marry me."

"Okay, which one do you like?"

Reid pointed to the ring Emily had chosen without hesitation, "That one."

"Naw… It's too small and plain."

"I know what she likes," Reid insisted.

"Okay man… Don't have an aneurysm."

A man in a charcoal grey suite and gold tie approached them. "My name is Dominic. May I assist you gentlemen?"

"Yeah, my friend is getting married."

"I can speak for myself Morgan."

The man looked Reid up and down. "Yes sir… Did you have something in mind?"

"I want that one. " He pointed at Emily's favorite.

"Ah yes… There has been a bit of interest in that ring in the last days. You are lucky it hasn't been sold."

"Really?" Reid said in a knowing tone. "How much is it?"

Dominic named the price and Reid nodded. "I'll take it."

"Very good sir." The man bowed and unlocked the display cabinet. "Shall I gift wrap it for you?"

"Um… Yeah."

Morgan watched the clerk wrap the gift. Reid was fidgeting with the edge of his collar. "You said she'd love it and she will love it." Morgan said. "Trust me!" He said to Reid's stare.

Dominic handed Reid a dark blue bag with the name of the store in silver letters on the side. "I'm sure your lady will love this. Good luck!" He said condescendingly.

"She better," Reid muttered to Morgan.

"Don't worry Reid… It'll be the best Christmas ever." He led the young man away. "Now, lets go find my mama something. I need to get it in the mail today or it won't get to Chicago."


	22. Chapter 22

_**Disclaimer: see my profile**_

Emily surveyed her appearance in one of the round, bathroom mirrors that hung above his-and-hers bathroom sinks. Her hand shook as she reached up to adjust one of her hair combs. They glinted in the golden light of the bathroom and matched her crystal earrings and pendant. Her fingers smoothed her hair in it's upswept do.

_Maybe I should leave it down. Maybe it looks better with the dress down around my shoulders._

"Miss Emily…" Helga's voice was at the door.

"Yes Helga!"

"Ze tiny Liebchen is ready for his debut."

"Thank you for staying Helga."

Emily opened the door and exited to the bedroom where Spencer was busy with his suit jacket. She glanced at him, but he was fidgeting and ignoring them.

"You are a very velcome," Helga was saying. "I am very happy to be helping vith little Aaron. He is so vonderful."

"Yes he is," Emily agreed as she looked for her shoes.

"You are looking very vell Miss Emily."

Helga took in the blood red strapless gown that fell to about an inch above Emily's knees.

"Yeah…"

Emily turned to see Spencer staring at her with approval burning in his eyes. He seemed to have forgotten that Helga was in the room as he stared with undisguised desire at Emily. She felt her cheeks go red. Perhaps the dress had been a bad idea.

"Thank you Helga!" She said breathlessly.

Helga left the room as Emily picked up a white silk shawl that had a gold, red and green diamond pattern woven into the design. Her red shoes and handbag completed the look. She risked a look over at Spencer who stood there staring at her.

"You look great." She said jolting him out of his reverie.

"What?"

"You look great!" She repeated. "I like your suit."

His hands went nervously to his tie. The suit was an early Christmas gift from Garcia. He'd been very nervous about accepting clothing as a gift from his flamboyant friend. Emily had opened the box for him and seen at once that Garcia knew how to shop for her friend. The matching jacket and pants were deep charcoal grey. His shirt was black silk with a matching black silk tie. A solitary blood red stripe ran diagonally down the tie and matched Emily's dress. His socks were mismatched, one black and one red and black stripped. The highly polished black shoes looked strange on his feet. She decided to ignore that part of his wardrobe.

"You l-look really n-nice too," Spencer stuttered.

"Thanks…" Her hand was back fidgeting with her hair.

"I like your hair that way. Don't change it." He said.

"How did you - right I forgot who I'm talking to."

"Are you ready?"

"I don't know… Dad's been out of the country for the last three months. He hasn't even seen Aaron in person yet. "

Spencer came to her side and took her hand. "It's _going _to be okay." His deep chocolate eyes had a way of making her believe that everything would be okay.

"Shall we go get the baby and head out?" He asked her after kissing her softly on the mouth.

"Yeah…"

----

The driveway to the front of her parents' home had golden, red and green Christmas lights. The familiar, life-size manger scene was backlit so that Mary, and the baby Jesus in her arms, seemed to glow with some ethereal light.

"Wow…"

"Yeah, my mother likes Christmas a lot."

"She does," Spencer pulled up to the front of the home. A man in a black tuxedo met them.

"Oh yeah, she makes a big deal of it every year. Except for the three years, we were in the Middle East. Ever the diplomat, she didn't want to offend the locals."

Reid left the car as the man came to Emily's side and opened her door. "Hi Nigel," She greeted him.

"Hello Miss Emily."

Reid opened the back door to get Aaron out of the back seat of the car. "I got him," He waved off Nigel who looked at Emily who was trying not to laugh. The butler sniffed, but his training held. He went to the door and let them into the grand foyer of the house.

She felt Spencer tense beside her as the butler took their coats. He seldom looked overwhelmed, but the marble and all the flowers seemed to render him speechless. In the middle of the large hallway between the two staircases that went up to the second floor, was a twelve-foot Christmas tree. The ornaments were gold and silver with white lights. There were red bows tied at strategic places on the boughs and several gift-wrapped boxes were underneath it.

"Emily…" A voice boomed.

Emily held tight to Spencer's hand as a very tall man that looked like a linebacker for the Redskins strode down the marble steps. He wore a tuxedo with a blinding white shirt and white bow tie. His dark hair had grey streaks at the temple, but his face was smooth.

"Daddy…" She held out her hands to him as he came across the huge entryway.

"It's been too long my baby girl."

Robert Prentiss hugged his daughter, lifting her off her feet like a small child.

"I missed you Daddy."

"Hello Emily." Elizabeth said from the left of Spencer, "Hi Spencer. How's my grandson."

She cooed over the baby as Emily and her dad spoke quietly. Spencer watched the family and felt something prick at his heart and the corner of his eyes.

A hand squeezed his arm. He looked up and saw that Elizabeth was looking at him intently. She smiled at him and looked over at Emily and her father. Reid smiled back at her. Some of the ache in his heart muted a little.

"Daddy… This is Spencer."

"Hello Dr. Reid… I've been looking forward to meeting you for months. I'm sorry I've been so busy."

"It's okay sir. I hope you'll call me Spencer."

Robert shook his hand. "I'd be honored. Please call me Robert."

"Thank you sir," Reid said.

"Is this my grandson?" Robert looked down at Aaron who was awake in his carrier and looking around the room.

"Yes Daddy… Would you like to hold him?"

"May I," he asked Reid.

"Of course," Reid put the carrier on a beautiful mahogany table against the far wall. He lifted the baby out of the carrier and carried him over to Robert. Emily's father took the baby and smiled down at him.

"Hello there," he boomed.

Aaron flinched and began to cry. Reid twitched and started to hold out his arms. Emily put a hand on his arm and shook her head a bit.

"Sorry Master Reid. I do get a bit loud." Robert said to the baby in a softer tone as he rocked him.

Aaron settled down quickly. He grabbed one of Robert's fingers with his hand and tried to put it in his mouth.

"It looks like you have a new friend, sweetheart." Elizabeth said, as she watched her husband.

"He's a very handsome little man." Robert looked at Reid and winked. "I think he looks like you."

"Everyone says that," Reid said, going pink.

Robert gave the baby to Elizabeth. "Here you are my dear. I know you've been anxious to see him."

Elizabeth gave him a grateful smile. "I have been looking forward to seeing him. He gets more beautiful every time I seem him."

Emily beamed at Spencer just as the butler entered the room. "Sir, dinner is served." He bowed in Mr. Prentiss' direction. Emily grinned at Reid over her mother's turned back. Spencer tried not to laugh as his soon to be father-in-law thanked the butler.

"Well, let's go have some of Mrs. Cooper's excellent cooking," Robert said stretching out a hand.

Reid grabbed the carrier and the diaper bag. He followed Elizabeth who was cooing at Aaron in her arms. Robert entered the dinning room first and held open the door for the women. "Thank you Nigel."

The butler bowed and left the room. It was huge with a twelve-foot dining table in the center. The hardwood floor was dark maple. There was another Christmas tree in the corner with all gold ornaments and red lights. The chairs were more mahogany to match the table. Candles stood at regular intervals with crystal vases on the table. They glowed golden in the low light and made the red and white carnations look like jewels in the vases. The china, crystal and silver gleamed.

"Why don't you sit to my left?" Robert said to Reid.

"Of course sir," he put the carrier and the diaper bag next to a matching mahogany sideboard to the right of the table.

"We bought something for Aaron to stay in when you're here. I hope you'll visit as often as you can now that Robert has a permanent position in the States." Elizabeth said pointing to one corner.

There was a baby swing standing there. It played music went Elizabeth set Aaron in it and made it begin to swing.

"It's cute…" Emily said. "Thanks mom."

"You're welcome. We want Aaron to feel welcome and I remembered that you said he likes his swing at home.

Aaron was going out fast. Reid smiled and took his place at the left of Emily's father. Emily sat down next to Spencer and Elizabeth sat at the other side of her husband, and across from Emily and Reid.

Nigel came in with Mrs. Cooper who looked at Emily and smiled. The first course was a savory onion soup with melted mozzarella cheese and croutons made from pumpernickel bread.

"This smells good!"

"So Spencer, Emily tells me that you've got three doctorates and a couple of BA's. She also says you're working on a couple more. Why did you decide to become a profiler? You could do anything you want with your life."

"_Daddy_," Emily said rather loudly.

"Let the man speak for himself," Robert scolded her.

Reid didn't speak for a long moment. He gave Emily a look while they sipped their soup. Robert waited without comment, his eyes on the baby swing as it moved back and forth in the low light.

"When I was a child, a little boy I knew was raped and murdered. The man that did it was someone I played chess with once. I was four years old. My mother knew by looking at him that he was a danger to me. No one believed her because she was ill. Soon after, someone killed Riley. His father took the law into his own hands. My mother witnessed what Riley's father did. I was too young to know what was going on, but I saw enough and I guess I sensed enough to know that something was wrong. It ultimately tore my family apart. My father left me to care for a mentally ill parent. I guess I just thought I could keep other families from being ripped apart that way."

Robert nodded his head, "An excellent answer young man. My daughter says you are great at what you two do."

"Thank you." He looked at Emily and she was beaming at him.

Nigel brought in the second course - prime rib - to the dining room at that lull in the conversation. Reid was amazed at how comfortable he felt in this big mansion with Emily's parents. The room was warmer than it had looked when he'd entered. He looked around once more, taking in the large marble fireplace directly across from where he sat. Logs crackled in the brightly burning fire. One of them broke and fell sending sparks up the chimney.

"Hey Spence, your dinner's getting cold." Emily said, squeezing his hand.

"Oh right… It's just that this room is so beautiful."

"Thank son," Robert grinned at him over his prime rib.

Aaron began to cry just as dessert came out of the kitchen. Emily took him out of the room to nurse, leaving Reid alone with his future in-laws.

"Dr. Reid." Robert said sternly. "Now that my daughter has left, I think you and I need to have a talk."

Elizabeth excused herself with her slice of pumpkin cheesecake. "I'll be back in a few minutes. You two have a nice talk." With that, she left Reid to face Robert alone.


	23. Chapter 23

_**Disclaimer: see my profile**_

Reid pulled at his tie while Robert went to the bar that stood in the corner opposite the sparkling six-foot Christmas tree.

"Would you like a glass of brandy Spencer?"

"Ah no sir, thank you."

"As you like," The big man brought his brandy snifter to the table. He sat and looked at Reid with much speculation "What are your intentions with my daughter?" He said abruptly in that same booming voice.

The question was so unexpected, but something he should have expected, that Reid almost choked on his dessert. "I don't understand." He gasped.

"Spencer… In my day, an honorable man married a woman before he got her pregnant."

"Sir… I love Emily very much. We intended to tell you and your wife tonight, that we're getting married. I hope you and Elizabeth will give us your blessing despite the fact that I haven't asked your permission before asking your daughter for her hand." Reid said very rapidly as his hands continued to tremble in his lap.

Robert stared at him for long minutes, and then broke into a big smile. "Of course you have our blessing. It's what Elizabeth and I have hoped for since you two hatched this scheme. I'm very proud to call you my son."

"You are," Reid squeaked.

"I'm sorry for the theatrics. I can't resist a good joke." Robert admitted. His face went grave. "I love my daughter very much. I want her to be happy."

"I understand. I want her to be happy too." Relief coursed through Reid like the warmth of a nice, hot, cup of coffee.

"You're a father now. You understand wanting your child to be happy. Sometimes I look at Emily and I still see the little girl she used to be. Did she tell you about the baby she lost as a teenager?"

"Yes…"

"Her mother and I weren't there for her. We were very rough on her and alienated her for years. We hurt her horribly because we were too worried about appearances. I'll never forgive myself for that."

"Sir, I know she doesn't bear ill will to either of you. She loves you both."

"She's more generous and forgiving than she should be."

Robert swirled his brandy around in his glass. He ignored the cheesecake Nigel had placed in front of him as though it wasn't there.

"Emily loves you. She's a grown woman who knows who she is. She's confident and strong. Aaron will never replace the baby she lost, but he fills a void she's lived with for years." Reid said.

"I suspect that you fill part of that void too. I've never seen her so content. Thank you for that son."

Spencer felt his face flame. "She's the best thing that ever happened to me."

----

Emily entered the library that was just down the hall from the dinning room. The roaring fire lit the cozy room with shelves full of her father's books. This fire was a gas fire behind glass, and it warmed the room with golden, red and blue flames that were beautiful over the glass beads piled under them.

She found a leather easy chair across from the rosewood desk that served as a desk for her father when he was in the States. Now that it was permanent, she supposed he would find another space in this palatial home to work.

Aaron latched on and began nursing when there was a tap at the oak door, "Come in."

Elizabeth poked her head in. "May I join you?"

"Of course mom," She nodded.

Elizabeth took a seat in the second leather easy chair before the fire. The light from the fire emphasized her smile as she watched her daughter feed her hungry baby. Tears came to her eyes and she quickly wiped them away.

"Mom… What's wrong?" Emily asked

"I'm just thinking that I wondered if my mistake when you were so young could ever be made right. Now I know that it has."

"Aaron is a miracle. I'll never forget my little boy, but Aaron fills the space in my heart that I thought would be empty forever."

"I'm so sorry my darling."

"Mom… Please stop flagellating yourself over something that happened a lifetime ago. It's over! Don't forget that I didn't come to you when I knew I was pregnant. If I had…"

"I would have been so angry."

"Yes, but you would have gotten over it. I didn't give you that chance."

"You're too forgiving."

"No, I just see it from the other side now that I'm a mother."

Elizabeth reached over the space between the chairs and rubbed Emily shoulder. "You're amazing and you've found a truly exceptional young man."

"Yeah, he is amazing and you've never seen half of what he can do. Mom, he can take the most ordinary or abstruse piece of evidence and turn a case around so that we win the day. I sometimes wonder if we wouldn't be walking into walls without him."

"I'm sure that's not true. I think you have an exceptional team that work together like a well oiled machine."

Emily stroked the top of her little boy's head as he fed in contentment. "We trust each other. We're a family as JJ says all the time."

"So… Do you think your dad is in there giving Spencer the third degree about his intentions toward you?"

"Oh yeah… I'm sure he is. You know dad. He loves a good joke. He would think it great fun to welcome Spencer so warmly and then zap him with that question."

Emily laughed quietly so as not to disturb the baby. Aaron was looking up at her while he ate and his eyes reminded her of Spencer when he felt comfortable which wasn't as often as she would like; although, it was happening more and more often than in the first years she'd known him.

"That's true," her mother was saying. "He would get a kick out of it. How do you think Reid is handling it?"

"I'm sure he's doing fine."

---

Robert finally took a bite of his cheesecake. "The smile on her face tells me that you're the best thing she's ever found."

"Thank you Robert."

"If you're going to marry my daughter, I think you better call me dad."

"Um… Yes, thank you."

"Good… I've always hoped to have a son-in-law I really liked and I like you son."

The door opened on cue with Emily following Elizabeth into the room. Emily put the now sleeping Aaron in the swing and joined Reid at the table.

"I told your Dad." Spencer said as he finished his cheesecake.

"Told him what," Emily asked.

"Spencer and I had a nice discussion about his intentions." Robert failed to hold back a smile.

"I knew you would." Emily said with a smile.

"He told me about your engagement."

"Sorry dad, I wanted to tell you together, but you had to play overprotective with me." She said, looking at Spencer.

"A father's prerogative, I have to make sure my daughter is well taken care of."

"We take care of each other." Emily said, gripping Spencer's hand.

"Congratulations to you both," Elizabeth smiled and winked at Spencer.

"Thank you," Emily and Spencer said at the same time.

"Shall we go into the parlor?" Robert asked.

-----

Reid pulled the car into the garage and shut off the engine. The rattle of the garage door going down didn't wake Aaron who slept soundly in his car seat.

"Thank you!" Emily said leaning over to kiss Reid.

"What for?"

"You humored my dad. He likes you a lot." She beamed at Reid.

"He scared me a little, but I like him too. He's a great man. He really loves you."

"I'm glad he has an assignment here in Washington. I've really missed him." She sighed.

"I know…" Reid squeezed her hand. "Let's go inside, it's chilly."

"Okay!"

Emily got out of the front seat and went to unlock the door to the house, grateful for the attached garage. Reid climbed into the back and removed Aaron's carrier from the car. The little guy slept on.

"I wish I could sleep this well every night." Spencer said to Emily as she held open the door for him.

"Me too…" She agreed, taking off her coat in the combination laundry and mudroom.

Reid put the carrier down on the washer and pulled off his coat. "I'll take him up and put him down."

"Like I could deprive you of that job," she teased.

Emily went to the living room and kicked off her red heels. She switched on the gas fireplace and the lights for the Christmas tree. They blinked on and off in red, green, blue and gold, with a few white ones scattered like diamonds on the dark green boughs. Sophie jumped up on the couch when Emily sat down. She climbed into her owner's lap and swished her tail.

"Well, I see the ornaments on the tree are all in one piece. How did Helga teach you that?"

Sophie meowed

"Why do you listen to her and ignore me?"

Sophie stared at her owner and swished her tail.

"Why do I put up with you?"

The cat meowed and pushed her head into Emily's hands. "Yeah, I know… You want your head scratched."

Emily began petting the cat, scratching behind her ears and rubbing a hand over her back. The cat responded with purring loud enough to make crystal shatter if there had been any in the room.

"You're easy," Emily informed the cat.

"No, she just likes it when you jump to her every whim." Spencer said.

She looked up to see him leaning against the wall. He'd folded his arms over his chest and he looked very pleased with himself.

"Hey you," She whispered feeling a warm knot in her belly at the sight of him.

"Hey yourself," he came over to the couch and picked up Sophie from her lap. "Get down… I need to talk to her for a minute."

Sophie ran from the room with her tail in the air.

"She's going to make you pay for that." Emily said, wrapping her arm around his waist.

"I don't care. I have something very important I need to talk to you about."

"Um… Okay, you're scaring me a bit." His tone made shivers cascade down her back like ice water.

"It's nothing bad… Um," He pulled away from her and stood up. "I bought you a gift that I can't wait till Christmas to give to you."

The low light of the fire and the lights of the tree seemed to imprint a nimbus of golden light around him. He reminded her, more than ever, of a fallen Angel. Her breath caught in her throat. "Okay…"

He dropped down to one knee and tears filled her eyes. He pulled out a black velvet box from his pocket and opened it to reveal the very ring she had admired with Mai two weeks ago.

"I know I already asked and you said yes, but I wanted to do this the right way. I love you so much Emily Prentiss. You gave me the greatest gift anyone could give me, the chance to be a father. I want us to be a family forever. I want you to have this to wear so the whole world knows you're mine. Will you marry me Emily?"

"Yes…" She shouted. She leaned in to kiss him hard.

When breathing became a real issue, she let him go and took the box from his slack hand. "It's so beautiful. How did you know?"

"Come on Emily. You picked it out, probably with Mai or Garcia. They told Morgan and he took it upon himself to steer me into the shop. I picked it out on my own though. I know what you like."

Emily felt her face getting hot. "Honey… I'm sorry I just thought that you -"

"You thought if you hinted around I wouldn't get it."

"Yeah… Can you forgive me?"

"Of course," he put the ring on her finger and kissed her hand.

"I promise the next time I want something, I'll come out and ask." She grinned at him and felt the guilt slip away at the joy in his eyes.

"I think that's best."

She admired the ring, which was set in eighteen-carat gold. The stone was a quarter karat diamond cut princess style. It was simple, understated, and perfect for her.

"Thank you so much, "she repeated, "Merry Christmas Spencer."

"Why are you looking so down? Did you want something different?" He asked anxiously.

"No… I just thought I don't have anything for you. I mean, I do but I thought I would wait till tomorrow."

"It's okay, I can wait. Christmas was never a big deal for me anyway."

"I know…" She kissed his cheek. "That's why tomorrow is going to be the best Christmas for all of us."


	24. Chapter 24

_**Disclaimer: See my profile**_

Wonderful smells, emanating up the stairs from the kitchen, pulled Reid out of bed on Christmas morning. Emily was gone, so he headed to the shower. He dressed in a pair of dark blue sweat pants and a Cal-Tech tee shirt.

Aaron was awake when Reid entered the nursery several minutes later. He was looking up at the solar system mobile and waving his arms.

"Hello little man. Did Mommy just leave you here?"

Aaron waved his hands and kicked his legs with enthusiasm at the sound of his father's voice.

"I'm sure she didn't mean it." Reid picked up the baby and tucked him into his arms so that the baby's head was on one shoulder.

Aaron reached out and snagged a lock of his daddy's wavy hair in one tiny hand. He tugged on it enthusiastically and cooed.

"Hey… Not so rough little guy." Reid gently disengaged the little fingers from his hair.

Aaron cooed and tried to grab more of his father's hair.

"I think we need to give you something else to play with," Reid reached for Aaron's rattle on the dresser.

"Here you go little man."

Reid pulled his hair out of Aaron's grasp and replaced it with the rattle shaped like Snoopy.

"Come on… Let's go see what Mommy's doing."

---

Emily chopped the last of the green onions into a small white bowl while Helga whipped the eggs in a big glass bowl.

"Ze eggs are ready." She said over the Christmas music on the radio.

"Good, I've finished the vegetables."

Emily lined up diced tomatoes, green onions, mushrooms, black olives, shredded cheddar cheese, and some diced ham in a row next to the griddle.

"Vill you be vanting ze hot sauce?"

"Yes and the sour cream please." Emily poured some of the whipped eggs on the hot griddle.

"Smells great!" Spencer entered the kitchen with Aaron in his arms. "I can't wait!"

"What do you want on your omelet?"

"Everything but the olives and the mushrooms."

"Coming right up."

Emily made all three omelets, insisting that Helga join them, as it was Christmas day.

"That was delicious," Reid enthused over the last of his grape juice.

"It vas very gut. You should have let me cook though." Helga scolded Emily.

"It's Christmas… You're going to have the day off if I have anything to say about it."

"Nonsense… I vill be cleaning up zis mess." Helga indicated the chopping block, knives, the griddle and eggshells that crowded the kitchen counter tops.

"Right… I did make a bit of a mess."

"Zen go and enjoy ze presents."

"I'll clean it up!' Emily insisted.

"No… It is time for ze Liebchen to see vhat Father Christmas has brought for zem."

Aaron began cooing and gurgling. He waved his rattle around, making a lot of noise. "It looks like Aaron agrees with Helga."

"Ze tiny Liebchen is right. You must have some family time. Do not vorry I vill take care of everything." Helga shooed them out of the kitchen.

"Come on Emily. Helga has it under control."

Emily followed Spencer and Aaron to the living room. She scowled as Spencer put the baby on the floor with his blanket and rattle.

"Why do you do that?" She hissed at him.

"What did I do?"

"You just can't accept her."

"Do we have to do this now?" Spencer looked pointedly at the baby.

"Fine… I know you just want to open presents. I thought it wasn't that big a deal to you?" She challenged in a low tone.

He had the decency to go red. "I'm just trying to make the day great for Aaron. It's his first Christmas."

"That's not playing fair, Spencer Reid."

"Is that why you're smiling?"

"Oh you… I'll get you for this." She shook a finger at him as though he were Sophie.

"Later… Let's open presents." Reid said excitedly.

Emily shook her head. "Okay, you win."

Reid went directly to the tree and picked out a gift wrapped in red paper, tied with a silver bow. He handed it over to Emily. "Here's one for you."

"You gave me my gift last night."

"Look at the tag!"

Emily looked at the tag that was stuck on the top of the box. It read: To Mommy from Aaron. "What did you do?"

"I didn't do anything. Aaron picked it out."

"I can't tell if your pulling my leg or not. Since he's only eight weeks old, I'll take your word for it."

"Come on. I'm - I mean he's excited for you to see it."

Emily looked up from the paper she was ripping away from the box. "Was that a Freudian slip Dr Reid?"

"Emily!"

"Patience is a virtue, my darling." She ripped away the remaining paper and opened the box. She pushed back the tissue paper to see a picture frame in the box.

It was a framed photograph of Emily with Aaron. The picture had been taken in Las Vegas during their visit with Spencer's mother over Thanksgiving. The picture frame opened on two hinges. The left side was the photograph. On the right side, was a card made from thick, creamy paper. There were red and pink roses painted in the corners with green leaves. There was a verse in the middle. It read: Frogs, snails, and puppy dog tails, that's what little boys are made of. Sugar, spice, and everything nice, that's what Mother's, are made of. The last line read: Aaron loves Mommy. Below the last line were little x's and o's painted in dark blue.

Tears made the words go all blurry for her. "This is the sweetest thing anyone's ever done for me. Thank you sweetheart," She leaned over to kiss Reid.

"Not that I don't love the kiss, but don't thank me. It was Aaron's idea."

"Oh… Well I suppose I better thank him!" She let go of Reid and went to pick up Aaron who was trying to get one of his fists in his mouth.

"Hey there little man. Thank you for my gift. Mommy loves her little man very much." She kissed him soundly on his cheek. Aaron smiled at her and pulled on her hair.

"He's found a new toy," Spencer said indicating his hair.

"Oh… Well let's get on with the gift giving." She picked out a gift bag and took it to Reid with Aaron.

Her tone had Reid looking at her as she gave him his gift. The card read: To Daddy from Aaron.

He opened the bag and pulled out the red tissue paper hiding the gift. He extracted a gold picture frame with a picture of him, his mother and Aaron.

"It's beautiful…" He breathed.

"I guess we think alike." Emily said.

Reid put the picture on the table and pulled Emily and Aaron into his arms. "Don't feel bad. I love it. It's going on my desk at work."

"Are you sure baby? I can -"

He put a hand over her mouth. "I love it. Don't give it another thought. Now we both have something for our desks to remind us why we do our jobs." He kissed the top of Aaron's head. "Thank you little man. Daddy loves his present."

Aaron reached out a hand and touched Spencer's face. He looked up at Emily and smiled. Emily wished for a camera. It was a perfect moment.

The pile under the tree rapidly diminished. Aaron ignored the toys, and the clothes, given to him from his parents, his grandparents on Emily's side, and the team. There was a large container of dinosaur toys left under the tree that Reid brought to Aaron.

"Hey… Look at the tag." Emily said.

It said: To Reid from Morgan, enjoy!"

"He said it was so that you'd stop playing with Aaron's set. He's afraid they'll be worn out before Aaron gets a chance with them." Emily laughed.

"Very funny…"

He pulled off the top of the plastic container and began sorting them with great excitement while Emily laughed at him.

Finally, only three gifts remained under the tree, nearly hidden by all the torn paper and gift bags strewn around the room. Emily gave one of them to Spencer.

"Emily…"

"Humor me!"

He pulled a small box out of the gift bag and opened it. "It's beautiful," He stared in wonder at the small object. It was a purple stone set in a gold setting that looked like the claw of a predator bird. It was attached to a clip that was meant to add it to something, but he didn't know what it was for.

"It's a fob for your pocket watch. That's an amethyst. It matches your scarf too."

He kissed her hand. "It's great! Thanks for indulging my love of old stuff."

"You're welcome."

Emily took the baby back to his blanket on the floor. He smiled up at her as she picked up another gift. "I wonder where Sophie is?"

"Why?" Reid asked with a sinking feeling.

"Here's her gift."

"You got the cat a Christmas gift." He squeaked.

"Of course we did," She brought it to the couch. "Sophie," She called.

Reid waited and smirked when the cat didn't show up at her mommy's call. "See, she doesn't care."

"I'll open it for her. She can have it later."

Reid rolled his eyes. Emily smacked him on the shoulder. "It's just a toy!"

The package looked too big to Reid to be a toy, but he waited as she pulled it out of the wrapping paper. It was something call a cat tunnel. It was collapsible and portable. It was a red nylon tunnel that the cat could climb into the play in.

"How much did you pay for it?"

"It's my cat and my money Spencer Reid."

"Okay… I just don't think she'll use it."

"We'll see…"

Reid looked over at the last gift. "Who's that for?"

"It's for Helga. Why don't you take it to her?"

"Emily…"

"Come on Spencer. It won't kill you."

"Alright…"

He retrieved the gift and headed to the kitchen. He'd just rounded the corner when a crash sounded. "Helga?"

"I am so sorry Liebchen!"

Helga grabbed a paper towel and began mopping up some coffee from the floor. She was picking up broken chards of a coffee mug when Reid stopped her.

"Let me help."

"That es not necessary Dr. Reid."

She tried to hide her face, but he saw the tears on her face. "What's wrong Helga?"

"I am sorry Liebchen. It is the first Christmas since I am losing my daughter."

"Oh… I'm sorry Helga. I didn't know."

The background check on their housekeeper had said that Helga had lost a daughter. Of course the holidays would be difficult for her. Why hadn't he paid attention to that fact? Did the housekeeper mean that little to him?

"It's alright." Helga said. "I am very happy now zat I am taking care of my new family."

Reid watched her wipe away her tears and attack the spilled coffee at the same time. An article he remembered reading as a student at Cal-tech came to mind. It had to do with some animals that took over the care of baby animals that were not their own because the animal's parents died.

Something finally registered for him. Helga was working out her grief by working for his little family. She was taking care of a new family. So why was he resisting her care? Why did it matter if he felt affection for her? It didn't mean that he didn't love his mother too.

"Helga…" He swallowed when she turned and looked at him with the same adoring look she gave him and his little family every day. "I'm sorry that I've been distant and -"

"It is alright Liebchen. You haf a mother you love very much. I must not try to take her place."

"No… It's my fault. I thought if I had affection for you, it was like disloyalty to her. Now I know that's not true."

"Your mother vould be very proud of you."

"Thank you Helga. So we can be friends?'

"Of course Liebchen," She pinched his cheeks and he went red. "You are a good boy to feel so strongly zat you do not vant to hurt your mother."

Emily stood in the doorway to the kitchen with Aaron in her arms as she silently watched her husband-to-be with their housekeeper.

"See…" She whispered to the baby. "Daddy always knows how to charm the ladies even when he's not trying."

---

Reid hurried up the stairs on tiptoe. Emily was in the kitchen talking to Helga and nursing Aaron. It was just after lunchtime and he'd made an excuse to go take a nap. He entered the bedroom and opened the closet door. In the back, behind an old box of files was a plastic bag with a red ribbon stuck to it.

He picked it up and went carefully down the stairs to his shared office with Emily. He shut the door and saw that Sophie was sitting on the top of her tower Emily had bought for her to play on shortly after she'd adopted the cat.

"There you are." He whispered.

The cat looked at him, swishing her tail back and forth, as she clawed the tower.

"I brought you a present for Christmas."

He pulled a bag of her favorite cat treats from the plastic container. "Don't tell Emily. It'll be our little secret. See," he said as the cat watched him very carefully. "You don't have to wrap it up like it's for a little kid." He opened the bag.

Sophie jumped down from her tower and ran to him. He was giving her a treat when a laughing voice said. "I thought giving the cat Christmas presents was dumb."

Reid jumped. Sophie ran back to the tower and climbed it.

"Hi Emily," Reid squeaked.

"What are you doing?"

"Well I thought that some treats would be nice. It's not like it's a real gift."

"I like it when you back pedal Spencer. It's very cute."

"Very funny Emily!"

"Face it… Sophie's a part of the family just like Helga."

Reid's face went red. "Okay, We're all friends now. Are you happy?"

"Yeah…" She came over and kissed him. "I'm very happy. Merry Christmas Spencer."

"Merry Christmas Emily."


	25. Chapter 25

_**A/n sorry for the delay in posting. The site wouldn't let me update this chapter for two days. **_

_Sharp pain laced through her abdomen. Someone was talking to her. Who was speaking so sharply? Was it her father? Why?_

"_Emily… You have to focus. Now push!"_

_Sweat ran down her face and neck making her shiver around the pain. She felt like something was pulling her apart from the inside out. What was happening?_

"_Emily push hard, I see the head now."_

_Oh… The baby was coming. Where was Spencer? He promised not to leave her alone._

"_Spencer?"_

"_Don't push Emily." _

"_Where's Spencer?"_

"_Emily listen to me. You have to stop pushing. Concentrate on your breathing." _

"_Spencer…" She gasped as an agonizing pain shot from her head to her feet._

_The doctor began shouting to the nurses things that Emily didn't understand. Suddenly she was pushing and screaming again. She couldn't stop herself now. Her lungs were on fire and her abdomen was burning. _

"_One more push…"_

_Something left her body as she pushed as hard as she could. It was over, but she couldn't hear the doctor or the baby. Where was Spencer? What was happening to the baby? Her eyes were stinging from the sweat running into them. Everything was blurred and no one would respond to her questions._

"_Spencer…" Talking was almost impossible. She gasped out. "Where are you? What wrong with our baby? They won't tell me." _

_She thought that she was screaming but the words didn't get past her dried and cracked lips. "Help me!" _

_She tried to scream, but no one listened. The nurses were moving around her in slow motion and at high speed at the same time. _

"_Spencer!" _

_Her mother's face swam before her eyes and then disappeared. Her father's face took her mother's place before he vanished too. "Mom… Dad… Spencer! What's happening to the baby?" _

"_Emily… I'm sorry! The baby is dead." Spencer stood over her. He looked down at her with tears running down his face. "It's your fault Emily. Why did you do it? Why didn't you take care of our baby? I thought you wanted to have a baby. Why did you let them kill the baby?"_

"_It's not my fault!" _

_Tears flooded her eyes, washing the sweat from them. They blurred her vision, but somehow she could see clearly the face of her beloved Spencer and his accusing eyes. _

"_You tried to replace your baby. Now our baby is dead too. It's your fault." _

_Spencer was fading away from her sight like mist in the wind. "Wait… Don't leave me Spencer. Please don't go away. I'm sorry! I didn't mean to hurt the baby. I love the baby." _

"_It's too late Emily. You killed him. I never want to see you again." His voice echoed back to her from some far away place. _

"_Spencer… Please don't leave. I need you. It's not my fault!" _

"Emily?"

Someone was shaking her shoulder.

"Leave me alone!"

"Wake up Emily."

She opened her eyes and blinked away the tears she'd cried. Someone was holding her tightly in his arms. She smelled him, that unique smell that made her heart sing. "What happened?" She asked.

The light outside their window was turning gray in the room. It was on the wrong side of the room. She was cold and shaking. "Where…"

"We're in Omaha. Don't you remember?"

She wiped her eyes. "God… I had such a bad dream. Aaron died right after he was born and you left me." She accused.

"It was a dream Emily. Aaron is fine. Helga's taking great care of him."

It was all coming back. She had returned to work the day before and was on an urgent kidnapping case in Nebraska. It was only three days after New Years Day.

"Yeah…" She rubbed at her eyes. "I guess separation anxiety is worse than I thought it would be."

Reid held her close to his chest. "Are you sure that's all that's bothering you?"

Annoyance flashed through her. His concerned face pushed that irritation down. She began to cry.

"What's wrong honey?"

"I thought I was over this." She slammed a fist down on the bed next to Reid's leg. "Tomorrow's the anniversary of my baby's death."

"Oh… Um, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to pry."

Emily slipped out of bed and pulled on her robe. "It's not your fault. I haven't been this upset in years. This day goes by every year and I deal with it. I guess having Aaron and then our first night away from him is bothering me more than I can handle.

"I think it's more than that Emily. I think you've never dealt with his loss. Can I ask you something?"

She let him hold her again after crawling back on the bed. "What do you want to know?"

"Did you give the baby a name?"

Emily gave him a rueful smile. "The doctor and my mom took the baby away from me. I only had a short look at him. They wouldn't let me hold him. My mother had him cremated as Baby Prentiss."

"So you didn't have the chance to say goodbye to him or give him a name?"

"No… We left Italy and came back to the States as soon as I was able to travel."

"May I ask where the baby is interred?"

More tears leaked from her eyes and down her face. Her chest hurt terribly as though a tight band had encircled her.

"I'm sorry honey. You don't have to tell me."

"I'm alright." Some of the hurt that had festered in her heart was seeping away just by talking to him.

He clasped her hand tight. "I love you." He said while his eyes adored her.

"After the baby died and I went home, I stopped eating. My mother didn't want to tell me about the baby or what she'd done with his remains. She wanted me to forget it and go on. I think now that she was hurting too. I told her I would starve myself to death and go be with my baby if she didn't answer my questions. It was a cruel thing to do, but I couldn't see anything but my own grief. She finally told me everything. They had sent the ashes here to the states. They're interred back in DC.

"Did you go to see him?"

"I couldn't go for the longest time. I've gone a few times since, but every time I do I cry for days. I can't do that when I work for the BAU. I didn't want you guys to know and feel sorry for me."

"Emily…"

"I know, but I just couldn't say the words."

Reid looked at her without accusation. He was being excessively forgiving, but she'd talk to him about that later. The love and sympathy in his eyes started her crying again. "I wish I knew what was wrong with me." She said with sudden anger. "I have you and Aaron. I've made peace with my parents. I love all of you so much. I have a home and a job that fulfills me. Why am I still haunted by dreams? Now I'm dragging you into it."

"I think we should have a memorial for him. I also think you need to give him a name."

Emily stared at him. "I can't ask you to -"

"I love you. I'll stand by you no matter what you want to do. I want you to be happy. You won't be truly happy till you say goodbye and make peace with your son."

"Okay… We'll talk about it when we get home."

---

Emily rushed up the stairs to Aaron's nursery. The flight back from Omaha had been the longest of her life. She and Spencer had written their reports on the plane so they could come home as soon as the plane arrived back at Quantico.

Her heart was pounding hard as though it was trying to jump out of her chest. She needed to see her son and make sure that he was okay, even if it was irrational. She knew Helga would have called them the minute anything went wrong.

Aaron's nursery was lit with golden and rose colored rays that spilled into the room with a soft glow. Aaron was awake and in the middle of attempting to roll from his back to his tummy. He encountered one side of the padded crib, which stopped him.

Emily was about to call for Spencer, who's footsteps she heard on the stairs, when Aaron began to cry. It was a distinctly frustrated cry.

"Oh you poor little man." Emily picked him up and kissed his forehead.

"What's wrong?" Reid said, rushing into the room.

"Oh nothing much, Aaron tried to roll over and was blocked by the padding on his crib. He's a little frustrated."

"I see…" Reid smiled at the sniffling baby. "Don't worry little man. You'll get it right. You can do anything you want."

"Why don't you stay with him," Reid said. "I'll take care of re-packing our go bags."

"You don't have to do that."

"Yes I do. You need to spend time with him."

"You always know what I need." She kissed him while Aaron tried to grab her necklace.

Reid went pink in the cheeks. "I love you."

"I know… Now, I'm going to take Aaron downstairs and we'll practice the rolling over thing."

"He might not get it right today. Sometimes babies need to get stronger in their neck muscles and shoulders to perfect a roll."

"That's okay… We'll just practice anyway."

"Okay… I'll be down soon."

"Come on Aaron. Let's go play."

---

Reid shut off the shower and reached for a towel. He listened to the water drip from the faucet and from his body as he toweled off. Steam obscured most of the bathroom as he stepped out of the shower. The room and the water were hot and stuffy, but the chill he felt from Emily's distress wouldn't go away.

He looked at his reflection in the mirror as one hand wiped away the steam. The dark circles under his eyes weren't as black as they'd been in the months before Aaron was born. His son had made his life complete. How could he ever let him go if the unthinkable ever happened? How had Emily survived the loss of her first child? He just couldn't fathom it.

He pulled on a pair of sleep pants and an old white tee shirt. The sun would be down and dinner would be ready soon. He should go down to see if she was okay. He put on his slippers and headed down the stairs to the living room.

Emily was on the floor with Aaron who lay on his back looking up at her. He had a plastic key ring of large, pastel colored keys in his fist. It looked like he was trying to put one in his mouth. Emily had told Spencer, that it was okay for Aaron to put things like his toys in his mouth, as that and the drooling he'd begun to do coated them with antibodies from his system. As long as they didn't have small or loose parts Spencer tried not to be too worried about it.

"Mama loves you very much," She was murmuring to Aaron. "I'll never leave you alone in a cold dark place. You'll never be scared. I'll always take care of you."

Her voice cracked and Reid's heart hurt. What could he do to help?

Helga was in the kitchen. He could hear her listening to the I-pod he'd given her for Christmas. He recognized a song that played softly. It was a song recommended to her by her daughter. Her daughter had been living in Toronto when she died and Helga said it helped to listen to one of her daughter's favorite songs.

A sudden idea had him leaving quietly to go talk to Helga. He needed to borrow something from her for the memorial service.


	26. Chapter 26

For the first time since she'd become a member of the BAU, Quantico intimidated her. The buildings, sitting under a glowering grey sky, seemed to lean out to her as their car approached the military base. She shivered to see the trees sticking up from the dirty black snow like the stripped bones of a corpse unearthed by a starving dog.

As Reid parked the car, she had the sudden desire to make him turn around and go back home. She should be with her little boy, not here preparing to share a secret that had haunted her for most of her life.

She looked over at Reid who'd turned off the car. The parking garage was practically empty so he'd parked near the elevators.

"It's going to be alright." His hand closed over hers as she looked at the steel doors to the elevators cars.

"I don't know if I can do this."

"We don't have to tell them," Reid said as he pushed the release button on his seatbelt.

Emily tried to smile, but it felt more like a grimace on her face. "Yes we do… It's something I should have done a long time ago. You guys trust me, but I didn't trust you."

"How can you say that?"

"It's true Spencer." She held up a hand when he tried to speak. "I've hidden something very fundamental about who I am. How can I be effective if I'm not honest?"

"Emily," He squeezed her hand so tight it hurt. "We all have secrets. Losing a child is the worst thing anyone can deal with," He said. "You amaze me."

"Why?'

"Because you went through that loss, came out the other side, and had another baby. You gave me the greatest gift of my life. I'll love you forever for that."

She felt a smile creeping across her face as the knots in her stomach unwound. "Is that the only reason you'll love me forever."

"Well yeah, it's not like you have anything else to offer, like looks, intelligence, compassion," He winced as she squeezed his hand very hard.

"When did you get to be such a smart ass?"

"Oh, I don't know… Perhaps living with you brings it out of me."

"Very funny Spencer," the smile was genuine and heartfelt on her face.

"See… Now we're ready to go in."

She leaned up and kissed him. Hip lips had the lingering taste of maple syrup from pancakes that morning, toothpaste and coffee. His hands touched her face as her tongue danced with his. A small sound of need escaped him at the same time someone pounded on the driver's side window.

They flew apart as though scalded by boiling water. Reid cracked a knee on the steering and Emily smacked her head on the passenger side window. Both of them yelped in shock and surprise.

"Knock off the making out in your car." Morgan yelled cheerfully through the window as they both glared at him.

"What are you trying to do, give me heart attack?" Emily said slamming out of the car before Reid could react. "Are you nuts?"

"Hey!" Morgan held up both hands as Emily approached. "Don't freak out Prentiss. I'm just teasing you."

"Not today Morgan," She warned him getting right up in his face. "I'll take you down."

"Okay… Geez, you two are very tense. What's up?"

"Later!" Reid said, putting an arm around Emily.

Morgan raised an eyebrow, but wisely stayed quiet as he followed them onto the elevator. "So Reid…"

"Not now Morgan!"

----

"Emily and Reid have something they need to tell everyone." Hotch said as the team, including Garcia entered the conference room.

Morgan opened his mouth as Rossi shut the door and closed it with a snap when Hotch froze him with a glowering scowl.

Reid took Emily's hand as they sat down together. "First," She began as they all looked intently at her face. "Hotch has known about this for sometime. I," Her voice wavered a bit. "I'll be honest and tell you that I never intended to divulge this to you, not because I don't trust you, but because it was much too painful to talk about."

She looked at Reid and his serene eyes finished untying the knots in her stomach. She took a deep breath and began to speak.

"When I was sixteen, my mother was named Ambassador to Italy. I had lived all over the world by that time. I was tired of moving all the time and just wanted to fit in somewhere without learning a new language and customs. I suppose I wanted to punish my parents for dragging me all over the world."

"I met a young man - okay I'll be honest, I knew he was too old for me. He was twenty-one years old and married, although I didn't know about that until it was too late. He got me pregnant and then disappeared after telling me about his wife and baby daughter. I was humiliated and refused to tell my father his name or anything about him when they finally discovered I was pregnant."

"The baby was stillborn. My mother made sure that I got a brief look at him, but I didn't get to hold him or say goodbye. I really hated her for that for a long time."

Her voice began to stutter. Reid squeezed her hand. "We came home soon after that. My mother had him cremated and brought here to DC. She wanted me to forget about it and get on with my life, but for a long time I couldn't do it. I blamed myself for not wanting him. I didn't get the proper prenatal care because I refused to admit that he was real or of importance."

The team listened to her talk without interruption except for Garcia who began to cry when Emily told them of the birth of her stillborn son. Tears gleamed on her eyelashes despite Morgan squeezing her shoulder. JJ had a faraway look on her face that Emily recognized as tears fell down her cheeks. Rossi looked mildly interested, but with him, looks were always deceiving. Morgan's jaw clenched tight and Hotch's face resembled granite stone.

"So, now you all know why things have been so tense with my mother for so long. Since I've had Aaron, it's been better with both of them. I hope you guys forgive me. I didn't want pity and I didn't want you to think I'd fall apart every time we had a case with a child."

"Emily we wouldn't think that of you." Rossi said first. "Everyone in this room has something in their life that affects their work. You've never backed away from the tough assignments."

"Yeah angel face," Garcia reached out to pat her shoulder. "You're the best."

"Thanks Garcia," Emily smiled through her tears.

"You know I don't have complaints with your work," Hotch said with a ghost of a smile. "You've more than proven yourself."

"I agree…" JJ said. "What would we do without you?"

"Yeah Prentiss, it'd be pretty boring around here and my man over there would still be single and pathetic."

"Thanks Morgan," Reid said, kicking him under the table.

"Alright… Emily has something else to tell you."

"I think everyone knows by now, but Spencer and I are getting married."

Everyone looked at each other and then at the ring that had been prominent on her left hand for a week.

"No surprise there sunshine," Garcia quipped.

They all laughed, even Hotch.

"Also, Spencer and I have decided to have a memorial service for my son this Sunday. I never gave him a name so -"

"You'll need the paperwork to change the name plate on his grave." Hotch finished for her. "I'll take care of it for you."

"Thanks Hotch… I just wanted you to know that Spencer and I want to do this alone. We love you all but…" Her voice broke.

"Hey… It's okay." JJ said, "Its family and we're your adopted family. Spence and Aaron are your true family. We understand."

The others nodded. "Thanks guys," Reid said.

"Okay, lets get back to work," Hotch said.

Reid and Emily left first followed by JJ and Rossi. Hotch held Garcia back. "Garcia stay here for a minute. I need your help with something. "

"No problem boss…."

----

Reid dropped his messenger bag on their bed. Emily sat in the chair next to the window and looked out at the snow that was beginning to fall outside as the sun set in pinks and purple.

"It went well." He said.

"I know…"

"What are you thinking?"

"I was thinking that I should have told you sooner."

"It's okay!"

"No it's not… I mean, I know you guys are okay with my secret, but I could have saved myself so much pain for years."

"Emily please don't beat yourself up about this," he pulled her to her feet.

"How can I not?"

"Because this was a huge part of your life as a young person; it shaped who you are. Everyone understands that," he assured her.

"So do you think they're planning something? Hotch and Garcia was huddled in the conference room for a while after we left."

"What do you think?"

Emily laughed, "I think you're right."

Spencer pulled her close and began to kiss her with increasing fervor. The smell of his hair and the warmth of his lips made her brain go fuzzy.

"Miss Emily…" A voice called from the top of the stairs.

"Damn…" Emily said.

"What is it Helga?" Reid asked pulling away from her with a very disappointed frown.

"I haf made ready the supper."

"We'll be right down."

Emily shrugged her shoulders, "Are you hungry?" She asked Reid.

"Yeah… but not necessarily for food."

"Come on baby, one more week and I have my last post natal exam. I'm sure the doctor will say yes to - a little lovin' as Morgan would say - with no problem."

"Are you sure?" Reid asked with deep disbelief.

"Yes!"

"Okay, if I can't have you, I guess food will have to do."

"Don't pretend you haven't made friends with Helga. I know you have." Emily scolded him as she went to the bathroom to wash her hands.

Reid followed her and turned on the faucet to his sink. "Okay, so we're friends. Don't crow too loudly."

"Come on…" She flipped her towel at him. "Let's go get Aaron and go have dinner."

"You took the words right out of my mouth."


	27. Chapter 27

_**Disclaimer: see my profile**_

_**A/n the song mentioned in this chapter is called "My Name," From George Canyon. You can see the video on YOU TUBE if you'd like. I also made up some background on Emily's family**_

Helga smoothed down her work dress and slipped on the flat-soled shoes she always wore. She stepped out of her room and headed to the kitchen to begin her morning duties. The rest of the house, including the bedrooms of her employers and tiny Liebchen, were quiet.

She flicked on the lights and stopped in surprise. Emily sat at the kitchen with a glass of water near her hand. She looked up, blinking owlishly in the light of the kitchen.

"Miss Emily… Why haf you come to sit in ze dark?"

Her beautiful substitute daughter had tears in her eyes. "I didn't hear you Helga. I'll just go into the living room and leave you to your work."

"You do not haf to leave. May I give you some juice?"

Emily smiled around a tear that tracked down her face. "I'm fine. I couldn't sleep last night."

"It is okay liebchen. I understand so much. You haf a very hard day."

Emily began to cry. Helga leaned down and pulled Emily into her arms. "I am so sorry Miss Emily. I did not mean to say anything to make you sad. "

"You didn't say anything wrong." Emily said. "It's been twenty years. I thought I'd feel better after all this time."

"Zer es no time limit of grief Miss Emily…" Helga said sadly.

"Oh Helga, I'm sorry. I know how much you loved your daughter."

"It es okay liebchen. I am not ze one zat should be sad. You must go say a final goodbye to your baby. It es proper for you to cry."

Emily pulled away from the older woman. "We're both mothers… I don't have more rights to grief than you do. In fact, you had your daughter until she was an adult. You have the right to be very sad. I barely saw my baby once and yet I can't stop grieving."

Helga stood and went to the refrigerator. "Do not say such things Miss Emily. You are a mother. It does not matter ef it vas only for a few minutes. Zat part of you vill never die. He vill alvays be vith you."

"Thank you Helga."

"You are velcome my liebchen. You haf taken a spot in my heart zat was very empty. I love you."

"I love you too Helga."

"I vill stay and take care of you and ze doctor, and ze tiny Liebchen for as long as you vant me."

"I hope you never go away." Emily stood and hugged the older woman.

"Now," Helga gently pulled away. "I vill make a gut breakfast for you. Vhat vill you be having?"

"I don't think I can eat today."

"It es okay Miss Emily. Vill you be having some coffee?"

"Yes… I'll go see that Spencer is awake. Aaron will be waking too."

"Of course, you must go to your baby."

Helga watched her friend leave. It was going to be a very hard day for this little family. Perhaps she could make a nice big dinner for them when they returned.

----

The yellow sunshine seeping into the nursery was like snow in April to Reid. It wasn't fair that such a beautiful morning should hold so much pain for Emily.

He reached down and stroked the head of his son thoughtfully. Aaron opened his eyes and cooed up at his father. "I wish I could make things better for mommy." He whispered to the little boy.

Aaron reached up and grabbed a fistful of Reid's tie. "Hey little man, don't choke daddy." Reid grinned.

He picked up the baby and went to Emily's glider. "Today's a really important day for us." He told the little boy who was trying to stuff Reid's tie in his mouth.

"Mommy and I have to go to a very sad place today." Reid told Aaron while extricating his tie from the baby's mouth.

Aaron didn't like that and he began to fuss. Reid rocked him gently until he calmed. "You get to stay here with Helga because…."

_How did you tell your three-month-old baby that his older brother had died?_

"See, sometimes little babies don't get a chance to be outside of mommy's tummy like you."

Aaron waved his hands and cooed up at his father. "Yeah… It's very sad. Mommy had another little boy a very long time ago. He had to go away and never come back. Mommy was very young and didn't get a chance to say goodbye or that she loved him like she does for you every day."

Aaron watched Reid with solemn eyes. He smiled and cooed despite the serious tone of his father's voice. "Your mommy never got to give your brother a name. So we're going to go away for a bit today to honor him for you, and for your mommy and me. You be good for Helga, okay."

Reid kissed his son's head, holding him close to his heart. How could he ever live through losing his son? It would rip his heart to shreds.

"Daddy loves you very much and so does mommy."

Aaron cooed happily and kicked his legs. "Don't worry… We'll never let everything happen to you."

---

Emily listened to the snow crunch under her black leather boots as she walked next to Reid across the cemetery to her family's mausoleum. She squeezed Reid's hand tight and tried not to let the tears that wanted to escape from under her dark glasses fall onto her cheeks. Reid stayed silent next to her and his quiet strength helped her take the next step and the next.

The Prentiss family had lived in DC for over a hundred and fifty years. The mausoleum was black marble on the outside with brass handles on the doors. Reid opened the door and held it open for her. She stopped on the threshold of the cold and silent building and stared at the interior lit from the sun outside.

"You don't have to go in there." Reid said softly.

"Yes I do! "

She stepped deliberately into the room and led Reid to the far end of one wall. The bronze marker read Baby Prentiss. She pulled off one of her black leather gloves and ran her finger over the marker while tears ran down her cheeks.

"I should have done this a long time ago." She whispered. "I'm s-sorry baby boy. Mommy loves you very much."

Reid pulled her into his arms after placing his messenger bag on the marble floor. "I brought something to play if that's okay." He asked her.

She looked up at him with tear-filled eyes and nodded her head. "I c-can't talk right now."

"I know… I got this from Helga. It's one of her favorite songs."

Reid picked up his bag and extracted his I pod and a battery-powered dock. "I heard Helga listening to this one Saturday last month. You had taken Aaron out shopping for Christmas that day. It was after we first talked about coming here together and I thought it was perfect.

He pushed the play button on the I pod and country music filled the air. The voice of the man that sang was sweet and low, filling the room instead of echoing from the marble walls and floors.

__

It's cold in here, feels like everything's upside down.  
I can feel you talking, but I can barely make out the sound.  
I been kicking around these parts, feels like a year.  
I'm gonna change this world if I ever get out of here.  
She wants to dress me in pink, paints my bedroom blue.  
And I just laugh to myself, cause only I know the truth.  
This love is my only emotion.  
Haven't learned any fear any pain.  
It's kind of funny with all this commotion.  
I guess they've got me, to blame.  
They don't even know my name.  
They don't even know my name.

Well I've never felt so ready, think it's finally time.  
Cause that big old world is waiting, and it's mine all mine.  
Just then everything got real quiet, it got real bright.  
And a man took my hand said don't worry, Mama's gonna be alright.  
Then he opened the gate, and I followed him in.  
Said you can wait right, here till it's your turn again.  
And His love is the one true emotion.  
Heaven knows no fear no pain.  
I never got to set my wheels in motion.  
They loved me just the same.  
And they didn't even know my name.  
Didn't even know my name.  
You loved me just the same.  
And you didn't even know my name.

Reid shut off the I pod after the last notes drifted away. Emily turned to him and fell into his arms sobbing. "I'm sorry Emily. I thought it might help." He awkwardly patted her back.

"It's b-beautiful! Thank you Spencer… I love you so much. You're too good to me."

"How can you say that? I just want you to be happy. Look, I want to tell you something." He led her to a bench under a stained glass window at the north end of the small building. Red, yellow, green and blue light from the window spilled over the bench and painted his facelike some kind of modern day angel.

"Emily… I never believed in a soul and I wasn't sure I believed in God till I came to Quantico. I see all the terrible things people do to each other. I have to believe there is something out there that wants us to be good to one.

Then I met you and I began to think that the soul was real and that it could have a mate to stay with forever. You understood me better than anyone else in my life, except for my mother. When you asked me to be your donor, I said yes because I loved you and I wanted to have an excuse to see you all the time. The first time you kissed me, I believed in miracles. The first time we made love, I knew I would never love anyone else. When Aaron was born, I knew God was real.

I know He's taking care of your baby. I know He's watching over Aaron and us. He loves children. They are the way to His kingdom. So I know your baby is okay."

"I want to name him Robert Cortland Prentiss after my father and my grandfather." Emily suddenly said.

"I think it's a great name."

Emily stood up and went to the wall. She touched the marker and traced the letters that made up "Baby Prentiss," with her fingertips. "Mommy loves you Robert. I hope you're happy."

Reid came to her and hugged her hard. "Do you want to stay for awhile?"

"Yeah… I need to stay here. Is that okay?"

"I'll stay with you as long as you need."

---

Helga carried Aaron to his playpen in the living room. He had a full tummy and a new diaper so he smiled up at her and cooed in good humor.

"There you are my tiny Liebchen." She set him down with his toys and a blanket. "You are much loved my little Aaron."

She lowered herself down on the rug next to his playpen. His eyes followed her as he tried to shove his whole fist into his mouth.

"You see my Liebchen, your mommy will be very sad for avhile. She had to say goodbye to your brother and it hurts very much."

She sniffed back the tears that wanted to run down her face. "I know vhat it is to lose a child. I loved my Greta very much, but she had to go avay."

Aaron kicked his legs and tried to turn over on his stomach.

"Perhaps you and I may make a bargain." She said as the baby successfully completed his roll. He began to fuss when he couldn't turn back.

She stood and leaned over to turn him back on his back. "Ve vill promise that ve vill be zer for Miss Emily while she is sad, ja?"

The baby smiled at her as if in agreement with her idea.

"So… You must be very sweet vith mommy for avhile. Daddy will be zer for her too and loving you very much.

She sat back down to watch him try to roll over again. It would make Miss Emily happy to know that her little son had managed to roll over for the first time.

"I am thinking that ve must have a special dinner for my Liebchen and also to honor ze baby zat had to go back to God." She said softly.

Aaron cooed at her as she talked to him.

"Yes… I am thinking zat is ze best thing for Miss Emily."


	28. Chapter 28

_**Disclaimer: see my profile**_

_**A/n hello all. Here's the next chapter for all my loyal readers. You're feedback is appreciated. **_

The rich, mouthwatering smell of tomatoes, beef and garlic mixed with other delectable scents assailed Reid's nostrils as he followed Emily into the house. The sound of Helga humming wafted out from the kitchen making him smile for the first time in hours.

The warm house had his skin uncurling from the cold. The beautiful clear blue sky, that had seemed to cradle them during the visit to the cemetery, was turning purple. No clouds remained to protect them from the bone chilling cold as the sun left the sky. It was a relief to feel the warmth of home.

He watched Emily remove her coat. Her dark hair hid her face as she bent to take off her high-heeled boots. She hung her purse under her coat and put her gloves into the pockets. He took off his jacket and purple scarf. He left his shoes next to her boots and waited while she stood slumped shouldered looking at the hardwood floor.

_What should he say to her?_

She hadn't said a word since leaving the cemetery. They'd stopped for lunch and for a long walk around the park where she'd asked him to be her donor. After crying for a very long time at the cemetery she'd shut down. Her dark eyes were as cold as that day in New Orleans when he'd been acting like a jackass.

What to do? He should say something now that they were home.

He shuffled from foot to foot. Then a sound reached them that were unlike anything he'd heard in the house. It was a kind of - well he didn't really know what it was. It sounded like Aaron. Then Helga said something as she came into view from the kitchen.

"Ah my Liebchens haf returned. I haf made ze dinner for you. Ze tiny Liebchen has been vaiting for you because he has news for you."

He looked at Emily who trudged into the kitchen. He followed and saw that Aaron was in his little swing with a rattle in his hand. His mouth was working and he was jabbering loudly as Reid had once seen Henry do with JJ. So that's what he'd heard coming into the house.

Emily's dark eyes lit up at the sight of her little man. The weight of the day seemed to drop off her shoulders in an instant.

"What are you doing little man? Are you trying to tell Helga a story?" She babbled to the baby. "He jus started do that after ze lunch today." Helga said proudly.

Emily scooped him up in her arms with a big grin on her face. She hugged him and kissed him all over his face as he jabbered and sort of sang at her.

"Hey little guy…. You're so great." Reid said smiling at the baby. "Daddy's so proud of you."

"He turned over, but not back," Helga, informed them.

"You did?" Emily squealed. "You're so wonderful. Mommy loves you so much."

"I haf made stew and fresh bread. Do you vant ze coffee Dr. Reid?"

"Yeah…" He said distractedly as he fawned over the baby with Emily.

The food that Helga put on the table was ignored as the baby waved his rattle and burbled at them. How could you eat when your baby was doing something so extraordinary? In addition, it was putting the shine and happiness back in Emily's eyes. He'd ignore ten pots of fresh coffee for the chance to see her smile again.

"It is getting cold," he heard Helga scold.

Emily looked at him and smirked. "We better sit down like good children."

"It does smell good," He agreed.

Emily put Aaron back in his swing and they sat down. The beef stew and the fresh bread were very alluring. Also, they were delicious as he discovered from the first bite, but then Helga's cooking was the best he'd ever had.

"Thanks Helga," he said sincerely.

"You are velcome Dr. Reid."

"Helga…" He said going red in the face. "We're friends now. Can't you call me Spencer?"

"Oh no Dr. Reid, I am preferring Liebchen." She said sternly.

Reid choked on the last of her delicious coffee. She laughed and patted him on the shoulder. "I am making ze joke Spencer."

Emily giggled and Aaron babbled as though in agreement with Helga.

"I get zero respect." He complained.

"Sure you do, Hotch respects you." Emily said.

"Very funny," he lobbed the rest of his bread at her head while Emily laughed.

The pain was nearly gone from her eyes. He knew it wouldn't go completely for a very long time, if ever, but it was okay. As long as more happiness than sadness lived in her eyes, he could live with the shadow.

----

Emily came out of the bathroom wearing a pair of white pajama bottoms and a pink tee shirt. Her hair was a bit damp and her eyes looked so tired now that the day was over. He forgot the paper he'd been working on with his laptop to watch her approach their bed. She stood in the golden light from the bedside lamp looking at him for a long time.

Aaron and the food had been a good distraction, but something in the air had changed. He put the laptop aside and held out his arms to her. She scrambled onto the bed and hugged him. Her body shook as she began to sob like a badly frightened child.

"I'm never going to feel right again." She said into his shoulder.

"You're right, you'll never feel the same again," He quietly agreed.

She pushed him away and her dark eyes snapped as she glared at him with red eyes and nose. "How can you say that?"

"I meant that your life is forever changed Emily. You'll never look at your family, friends, and Aaron the same way. You did the most difficult thing a parent can do. You said goodbye to your child. If you went back to feeling exactly as you did yesterday, I'd worry about you."

"Good answer Dr. Reid. I won't have to kill you now."

"I'm serious Emily." He pulled her back into his arms.

"I know… I just can't imagine tomorrow without all that baggage hanging over my head. I'm afraid I'll forget him."

"You'll never forget him."

"How do you know?"

"Because I know you…. You have that wonderful ability to compartmentalize your life without losing your compassion. Aaron is living proof of that," he added.

"Sometimes I wish I wasn't so great at "compartmentalizing." She made quotation marks with her fingers.

"I refuse to change anything about you!"

"I love you Spence." She shut off the light on her night table and snuggled into his arms.

"Do you know what's so very amazing?"

"What?" She said into the darkness that claimed them for its own.

"I feel the very same way about you."

"So what do you think about our amazing son and his singing potential." She teased.

Reid laughed. "It's very cute. I don't think we should call the talent scout just yet."

"How can you say that about our son?"

"Come on Emily… Children don't develop their vocal cords until they're much older than Aaron is. He'll be able to speak but I think that singing might not be his talent. Not if he takes after his dad."

She laughed at the resignation in his voice. "Some little kids are very talented Spencer. Still, I think we'll have to wait to see if he gets to be on one of those reality talent contests on television."

"Yuck…" Reid said into the darkness. "Don't even hope for that." He insisted.

"Okay… Spoil sport! Let's get some sleep, hopefully without bad dreams."

He kissed her, hoping that tomorrow would bring more light than darkness into their world.

---

Aaron crying broke the silence of the house. Emily woke and went to the nursery, leaving Reid sleeping soundly. The night light in the hallway lit her way across the hall to Aaron's room, which had its own Mickey Mouse night light in one corner.

She picked him up and rocked him softly as he cried loudly, big tears rolling down his face. He looked like he'd had a bad scare. His face was exactly like Spencer's when he looked like he'd had a huge shock.

"Hey little man… What's wrong sweetheart?"

Aaron cried lustily, it hurt her ears and her heart to hear it. "Hey… It's okay baby. I promise nothing bad is going to happen to you.

_Can babies have nightmares?_

God… She hoped not… Dreams for babies and children should be filled with love and happiness, not pain and terror.

"Don't worry Aaron. Mommy will always be here for you. I promise!"

The baby slowly calmed at the sound of her voice speaking quietly to him. He eventually fell back to sleep just as she started to yawn.

"It's been a long day for all of us baby boy."

She put him back in the crib and stood watching him sleep in the dim light of the room until a yawn nearly cracked her jaws.

"Mommy's tired tonight," she said softly. "Sleep well my little angel. The sun will be back in the morning."

She'd just climbed back into their bed when Reid turned over and hugged her. "Love you," he murmured sleepily. "Is Aaron okay?"

He always knew… He might be sleeping deep enough to ignore an earthquake, but he always knew when she wasn't there and Aaron was upset.

"He's fine. I think he had a bad dream, if babies can dream."

"Kay…" He always sounded like a little kid when he was half-awake.

"Go back to sleep Spencer.

"Kay…"

An awful day was over. She had to believe a better one waited on the other side of sunrise.


	29. Chapter 29

_**Disclaimer: See my profile**_

_**A/n the site appears to be having trouble. I hope you can see this under chapter 29 if not, it might be chapter 30 instead. We'll see. **_

Hotch stood just inside the door to his office and watched his team in the bullpen. Morgan had kicked back in his chair with his feet up on the desk. Reid sat at his desk blushing about something Morgan was saying to him. The older agent was grinning and his eyes twinkled as the young doctor flicked his eyes to Emily. His fiancé was glaring at Morgan who laughed.

Hotch fixed his gaze solely on Emily. Only a week had passed since the memorial service, but Emily was holding up well. There were times he looked at her when she was deep in thought and he could see the pain that still lingered.

"She's okay Dad." Rossi said.

Years of working in the prosecutor's office and in the BAU kept him from jumping at the voice at his elbow. He looked over at his friend who was smirking at him.

"Did you need something Dave, or are you just here to annoy me."

"You said it yourself Aaron. This team is family."

"So what does that make you?" Hotch shot back.

"I'm their slightly disinterested but highly regarded uncle."

"At least you're honest."

"And you never pull any punches," Rossi responded, trying his best not to smile. "Emily's fine…" Rossi said again. "She's been through the worst pain a parent can live through and she's doing great."

"I know Dave."

"But you're still worried about her."

Hotch eyed his friend who just stood there looking at him as if he was evidence at a crime scene. You never could tell what Dave was thinking on a good day.

"Yes I'm worried about her. I am the head of this unit. I need to know that everyone on the team can perform at their best."

Rossi simply crossed his arms. "Is that all you're worried about."

"Yes. I worry about all of them."

"Like I said, 'Dad,'" Rossi reiterated.

"Haven't you got something on your desk to do?"

"Sure thing boss," His saluted him and went back to his office.

Hotch went into his office and shut the door. It wouldn't do for the team to hear him giving in to the overwhelming urge to laugh. After all, he had to keep them in line somehow.

His phone ran seconds later. He spoke briefly with the person on the other end of the line. His face was back to its normal scowling lines by the time the person finished his request. It was time to get back to work.

----

Garcia was the last to scurry into the conference room. She went straight to Hotch, handed him an envelope, and gave him a significant look.

"JJ…" Hotch addressed the young liaison. "Before we get started, I have something to say to Prentiss and Reid."

The couple looked at each other, then at their senior profiler.

"The last couple of weeks have been hell for both of you." He said. "I know you want to put them behind you and get on with your life. However, before you do, I have something to present to you."

He motioned for Emily and Reid to come forward. "Garcia and I found a charity and took up a collection in the team and from Emily's parents."

He handed the envelope to Emily who opened it and pulled out a check. Her eyes went wide and she began to cry. Reid took the check and went white. "I don't understand. This is too much!"

"No it's not kid." Morgan said. "We all went into our savings for Robert. Garcia found a charity called the "Missing Angels Foundation." It fights SADS - sudden antenatal death syndrome - or stillbirth. We wanted to make the donation in Robert's name."

"T-thank y-you," Reid stammered. He held onto Emily and stroked her hair as she wept.

"You're welcome sweet cheeks."

"We didn't mean to make you sad." JJ said to Emily.

"I'm not upset." Emily pulled away from Reid to accept a hanky from Garcia. "I can't believe you guys did this for us."

"We wanted to do something that would help other parents avoid the pain of losing a child." Rossi said.

"Thanks Hotch," Emily said.

Hotch nodded his head and gave them a rare smile. "All children should have a chance at life."

"Thank you all," Emily said wiping her eyes. "I don't know what to say."

"Yeah… You really threw us for a loop." Reid agreed.

"That's not hard to do to you kid." Morgan piped up.

The rest of the team laughed. Hotch's face returned to stone. "Alright… We still have a job to do."

The team settled down while Hotch gave Reid and Emily a softer look that made them both smile. "I hope this gives you some peace." He said quietly.

"It will," Emily said with a tiny smile.

"Okay then, let's get back to work." JJ said.

----

Emily dropped her bag on the floor next to the door to their hotel room. Reid was taking off his dirty converse shoes even though he had yet to take off his jacket and her favorite purple scarf.

"My feet hurt." He complained.

"I'm ready to fall into bed, but first, I'm taking a long shower before you get any ideas about hogging the bathroom." She in formed him, picking up her bag again.

"I don't know what you're talking about," he said as he took off his jacket and scarf.

"Don't play innocent with me Dr. Reid." She said over her shoulder.

Luckily, for him, his back was to her so she didn't see the smile on his face. If she wanted the bathroom first, that was okay with him. He could get into his sleep clothes and read a little before they had to go to sleep.

He had just pulled off his tie when the bathroom door opened and a very annoyed Emily confronted him.

"What the hell is this?"

His head whipped up at the sound, "W-what?" He said in utter shock.

Emily held out a scrap of red lace in her hand. "What is this Spencer Reid?"

He felt his face going red. "Um… I don't -"

"Don't you say you don't know?" Her words cracked through the air like a whip. "It's underwear."

"Yeah…" Was all he dared to say?

"I didn't put this in my bag."

"Um…" He squeaked. "I re-packed it a week ago. We haven't had any sleepover cases since then and we've been so busy -"

"So you thought that a thong would be something I'd want to wear on the job."

"Well… I thought that -"

She pressed on as though he had not spoken. "Did you also think this would be appropriate?"

She pulled a slinky pink silk nightgown from her bag. "Do you really want me to wear this to bed every night? Are you trying to torture yourself?"

"Emily I -"

"You packed this too," She held up a black sweater she had thought was so cute until the first time she wore it and found that it itched like crazy. It was a size too small now that she still had ten pounds to lose from her pregnancy so it was too tight.

"I like that and you never wear it. I thought it would be warm." He said very fast, feeling as though he knew what the words 'back and pedal' really meant.

His fiancé was staring him down as he thought rapidly. Saving his hide wasn't a possibility, but maybe he could still get out of this with a minimum of pain. "Emily…" He said in the same soothing tone he saved for Aaron when the baby was upset. "I didn't really pay attention to those." He pointed in the general direction of the thong and the nightgown now lying on the floor in a heap in front of the bathroom door. "I just grabbed whatever was closest and -"

"Spencer, just how dumb do you think I am?"

"I don't think you're dumb." He squeaked.

"You must, because you packed what you wanted to see, not what was comfortable or sensible for work."

He stood there with sweating forehead and palms trying to come up with some excuse she'd buy. His mind raced nearly as fast as it did when he was trying to come up with that elusive piece of the puzzle that would find a killer or arsonist, or rapist. Unfortunately, he was getting nothing, Zero. Zip. Nada!

Then Emily began to grin, "You know Spence…" He gulped at the nickname she seldom used unless she was feeling particularly playful. "I think you're right. Maybe I should wear the thong tomorrow. It might be interesting to see how it affects my state of mind. Don't you think?"

"Um…" Oh boy, there was no good answer for that. He'd chosen her clothes based on what he liked, not what she'd actually want to wear. Like the sweater, it was tight and it looked so good on her.

"Spencer!"

"What?"

"You didn't answer my question." He looked up to see that she'd picked up the thong and was letting it swing from her pinky.

If he said yes, he'd have to deal with thinking about her all day, and what she must look like with it on under her sensible work clothes. Hotch wouldn't be happy with him because his concentration would be shot. Morgan would know something was wrong and would tease him until he spilled his guts.

_You idiot! You can't say no. You packed all her clothes based on what you like! _

"Ok…" He said miserably.

"This'll be lots of fun." She winked at him and disappeared into the bathroom.

He let out a breath and went to his go bag. Maybe God would take pity on him and help find the un-sub by the end of the day tomorrow. Still, it was going to be a long day.

As it turned out, the night was worse than the next day. Emily came out of the bathroom in a cloud of steam just after Reid had finished the book he'd begun on the jet after their briefing.

The light pink negligee was silk with lace along the bottom of the baby doll hem. It flared out around her legs when she walked to the bed. It had thin straps and dipped down about halfway to her navel exposing more of her cleavage than he'd seen in weeks.

He swallowed as she came closer in the low light of the lamp next to the bed. Her hair was down around her shoulders in loose waves and her face was clean of makeup, but she astounded him nonetheless.

"Ready for bed," she said sweetly.

_Was he ready for bed?_

"Good night Spencer." She climbed into bed, pulled up the covers and turned away from him.

"Emily…" He croaked.

"It's after midnight Spence. You better not read for long. You need your sleep."

He put down the book and shut off the light. He tried to settle in and sleep, but lying on his back with his arms stiff at his sides so he didn't accidentally touch her in the middle of the night wasn't conducive to sleeping. It he touched her, it would be all over and waiting until her next doctor's appointment confirmed her wellness would be out the window. He just couldn't do it.

On the other hand, she was sleeping just fine. _Suck it up smart guy! You got yourself into this situation. Now you have to deal with it. _

---

Morning came finding Emily getting up first and showering while Reid tried to get a few minutes of sleep. He dozed off then it seemed like second later when a hand fell on his shoulder and Emily said. "Get up Spencer. We're going to be late."

He climbed out of bed and tripped over the book he'd left on the floor.

"Damn it!"

"How did you sleep?" Emily said sweetly as she fluffed out her hair.

"Oh I slept just fabulous. How about you?"

"There's no need for sarcasm Spencer. You made your bed and you had to lie in." She retorted.

"Emily…"

She turned and looked at him while he dressed. "I'm sorry Spencer. I know last night wasn't fun for you. Despite what you think, it wasn't a picnic for me either. The last three months have been torture, but we got through them. I have my final checkup in three days and then you better look out." She winked at him.

"Alright, enough already, I surrender. I'm sorry I thought with my hormones and not with my brain when I packed your bag."

She came over and adjusted the tie he'd added over his white dress shirt. "It's okay baby. One thing you might want to remember."

"What's that?" He quaked in his shoes for more criticism.

"When you pack for a woman we generally like stuff that matches." She slowly unbuttoned her navy blue shirt and revealed a green silk push up bra with black lace around the edges."

"See, it doesn't match the thong."

"Um… okay!"

"Good man." She buttoned her blouse and patted him on the cheek. "Lets get to work."


	30. Chapter 30

_**Disclaimer: see my profile**_

Reid jogged down the stairs to the kitchen. Helga was cleaning up the breakfast dishes. Sophie sat on one of the chairs swishing her tail and watching Helga. The housekeeper ignored the cat as she loaded the dishwasher.

"Hello Helga…"

She turned and beamed at the young doctor, "Hello Spencer."

"Can I help you?"

"No indeed Dr Reid," She looked scandalized at the thought.

"I thought we agreed on Spencer."

Helga went pink in the cheeks. "Ja, ve did Spencer."

Reid picked up a plate and some silverware. "I'll finish clearing the table for you."

"Thank you," she smiled at him.

"It's no trouble. Hotch gave us a four day weekend and well, I'm not used to being home on a weekday. I guess I'm at a loose end."

"I am very grateful for your help Spencer. Your mother taught you very vell."

"When I was a kid, I used to have to do the cooking and clean up when my mother would refuse to take her medication."

"I am sorry Liebchen. I did not mean to bring back bad memories."

Reid gave her a small smile. "It's okay. It's taken me a long time, but when I think back on those days it doesn't hurt as much as it did when I was a kid or even when I first started with the FBI." He picked up the half-empty pitcher of orange juice. "I think it helps that my team knows about my mother. It definitely helps that Emily and Aaron know her. It's different."

"Of course it is," Helga rinsed out the skillet she'd used to cook the eggs and left it in the sink to be hand washed. "You are not carrying such a sad burden alone."

Reid smiled broadly at her. "Yes… That's what I think too. I was alone for so long and it hurt. Now I have a family and it doesn't hurt so much."

"You still miss your mother very much." Helga said wisely, as he handed her two juice glasses from the table.

"Yeah…" He went a bit pink in the cheeks. "I don't feel it so much because you're here." He said shyly.

Tears welled up in Helga's eyes. "Thank you Liebchen."

"I didn't mean to make you cry." He sounded dismayed.

"It is okay…. I am very happy to be hafing this job."

Reid put the butter dish back in the refrigerator. "We're happy to have you here. Aaron loves you. We can't think of anyone better to look after him when we're gone."

"I love him very much Spencer. He is such a good baby."

"He's the best," Reid agreed as Helga placed the last plate in the washer and shut the door.

"Now," She put her hands on her hips. "No more chores for you. Go relax vith ze tiny Liebchen."

"Okay."

----

Emily returned home two hours later to find Reid in the living room with Aaron. The baby was just drifting off to sleep when she entered the room. Reid put a finger to his lips as he rocked the baby. She sat down on one of her wing-backed chairs and smiled at them. Helga had gone out to run some errands and do some food shopping.

Aaron was down for the count after a few minutes. "I'll take him upstairs." Emily said quietly.

"Okay…"

When she came back downstairs, Spencer was setting up the chessboard between two wooden chairs from the kitchen.

"What's the weather like?" He asked her.

"It's cold, cloudy and ugly. I think it might snow later."

He sat down, and smiled at her. "May I challenge you to a game of chess?"

"What do I get if I win?"

"Hm…" He was already concentrating on the board and missed her tone.

She sighed, "Do you want to be black or white?

Reid went first after studying the board for so long that Emily wanted to throttle him. He smirked at her and moved quickly. She decided to give him a taste of his own medicine by taking a very long time to make up her mind.

"Emily…"

"I'll move when I'm good and ready Spencer."

"Okay," he held up his hands. "It's not that important."

She made her next move, which made Reid crow with happiness. She glared at him. "You know Spencer. There are other things to do on a cloudy cold day."

"You just say that because you're losing." He shot back, missing the look on her face.

It was time for drastic measures she decided. He'd obviously forgotten the reason she'd gone out that morning. For a profiler he was clueless when it came to certain things. It was maddening.

"I'm not saying that because I'm losing."

"If you say so."

His smug tone was infuriating. Perhaps there was tact to take, she thought as she watched him concentrate on the chessboard. If he thought the game was so important then maybe she could use that against him now.

"It's your turn!"

Reid looked up at the impatience in Emily's voice. His eyes passed over her hand and then came back in wide-eyed surprise. She was running her fingers up and down the bishop to the left of her side of the board. Her thumb and forefinger slid up and down slowly, stopping at the small knob at the top of the piece. Her first finger swirled around it slowly.

"Spencer…"

He yanked his eyes away from her hand. His eyes found her face and he swallowed so hard it was an audible click in his throat. Emily was sucking on the little finger of her right hand. As he watched, speechless, she pulled it out between her lips with a little popping noise.

He shivered.

"Spencer… Are you alright?"

"Hm…"

He jumped at the feel of her foot sliding up and down his leg, nearly to his knee and back to his ankle. _Was she trying to kill him? _He wanted to cross his legs against his arousal but found that he couldn't move or speak.

"Emily…" He finally squeaked out as her foot moved back up his leg.

"What's wrong Spencer?" She looked at him with a look that would've been at home on the most innocent schoolgirl's face.

"I, "he swallowed again, "What are you doing?" He squeaked.

"I think you know." She said

She stood up and moved around the small table to where he sat staring at her. She straddled his lap and sat down. Her hands moved to the top button of his shirt.

"We can't," his breath was wheezing from his lungs like a pair of old bellows.

"You never pay attention to me when I talk about doctor's appointments, Spence. You have to get over your dislike of doctors' offices. I told you last week my last post natal check-up was today."

"You did?"

"Yes…" She sighed, letting her hands run up and down his chest.

"Emily!"

"He said I'm healthy as a horse. He also said," Her fingers finished opening the buttons of his shirt, but he didn't feel it over the rising buzz in his head. "That. Sex. Is. Okay." She whispered in his ear.

Heat flashed into his body as though a raging fever were burning through him. She was rocking back and forth against his hips. His breathing sped up as she pulled his shirt free from his cords. Her fingernails ran over his chest grazing his hardening nipples.

"Emily…"

"Spencer?"

He forgot what he'd wanted to say as his brain shut down and he lost the ability to think straight. Electricity shot over his arms and legs as she swayed over him. The movement of her body was hypnotic. He barely heard the zipper of his pants going down over the drumming of his heart.

Then the heat of her was gone. She was moving off him and another sound invaded the paradise of her touch. The baby monitor was relaying the unhappiness of their baby.

"Damn!"

"Spencer!"

"I'm sorry…"

"Stay there, and don't forget my place."

She kissed him and ducked quickly out of the room. The sound of a meowing cat made him look to his left. Sophie was sitting on the arm of the sofa staring at him.

"I suppose you think that was funny." He growled at the cat.

Sophie twitched her tail.

"It wasn't funny!"

He zipped up his pants and got up to pace as the fire in his groin licked up to his stomach. This was intolerable. Well, the honeymoon was bound to end eventually and they weren't even married yet.

"I can't be mad at Aaron!" Reid said to the cat while pacing and running his hands through his hair. "He's a baby and he's hungry. I mean if I were him I'd like to…"

He trailed off as heat rose to his face. All the books he'd read said that it was okay to enjoy Emily's breasts while she breast fed the baby, but he shouldn't be talking to the cat about it like that. What was wrong with him?

"I need to just sit down and maybe read a book till she's finished. She'll probably be too tired anyway, so I might as well just forget about it for now.

He went to the bookshelves and removed a random book that he hadn't read yet. Sophie jumped down to the floor and trotted out of the room.

"Thanks for your support," he yelled after her.

He was halfway through the book, and really hadn't registered what he'd been reading, when a hand pulled the book out of his hands.

"I've been calling your name for five minutes."

He looked up and gasped. Emily stood there wearing the red thong he'd packed in her go bag last week, and nothing else. "Um… How's Aaron?" He was squeaking again and his hands trembled.

"He's asleep!"

"Really?"

"Yeah…." She straddled the easy chair he was in and pulled the lever to drop the back into a position that had Reid on his back. "Now… Where were we?" She asked.

He pulled her down to him. "Right about here," he kissed her.

----

Her heart was still racing while he hugged her to his long lean body. "Now that was worth the wait and the interruption."

"Yeah…"

"You look like Sophie after she has a couple of treats."

He laughed. "I think it's better than that."

"You think," she slapped his shoulder.

"I know it was. Why do we always do this after waiting for months at a time?" He wondered.

"Well, I was pregnant and feeling ugly and then I had to wait after the baby was born. I guess we're not going to be known for good timing."

He laughed again. "I say you're right."

She shifted and climbed off him. "Hey… Where're you going?" He reached for her and she danced out of his way.

"Helga will be back soon!'

"Right…" He looked down at his naked body and reached for his pants.

"You're blushing!"

He threw his shirt at her. "She's like a substitute mother. I wouldn't want my mother walking in on this."

"Now that would be a sight." Emily laughed.

"Not funny," He pulled on his shirt and tried not to look at Emily who had pulled on her thong.

"Meet me upstairs and I'll make it up to you."

"What about Helga?" He squeaked.

"She won't disturb us. We'll be quiet." Emily said.

"I don't want to be quiet." Spencer pouted.

"Poor baby," She tugged on his hand.

"I'll try, if you promise me we're not going to wait another three months."

"Spencer…" She looked at him as if he was very slow. "Do I look like I want to torture myself again?"

"No… You're a very intelligent and logical woman. It's what I love most about you."

"There's more to me than my face." She pulled him in for a kiss, running her hand over his bare chest where his unbuttoned shirt hung open.

"There certainly is." He squeaked.

"Then Dr. Reid, let's go upstairs."


	31. Chapter 31

_**Disclaimer: see my profile**_

"Here you are Helga," The small, gray haired woman behind the counter handed the housekeeper her package of treats.

"Thank you Maria."

"How are you doing this vinter? The veather is so bad on my knees." Maria said as she sat down on a chair kept there specifically for resting her weary bones.

The small market had only one other customer who was browsing a selection of blue and white decorated tile in one corner.

"I am fine. I haf a new family so I am not feeling as bad as I did last year," Helga said.

"Ah yes… You told me of this Dr. Reid and Miss Emily. They haf a little baby boy?"

"Yes, he is being so cute and smart. You vould not believe vhat he is doing this veek. He is turning over and trying to make singing."

"Oh that is so good."

"Thank you again Maria. Please gif my love to your daughter. Is she still living in Ze Netherlands?"

"Yes… She loves it there. I am thinking that I vant to go back before I die."

"You are not dying for a long time."

"Tell that to my legs and my heart. I almost died vith my last heart attack."

"Ah, but you did not Maria. You vill see your Anna again soon. Now I haf to get back to ze house. I haf to make a special dessert for my Liebchen with ze chocolate I haf bought."

"Alright… I vill see you next veek?"

"Ja!"

Helga turned to leave the little shop called The Dutch Store, with her chocolate and some cheeses that Miss Emily liked very much. She passed a rack of imported chocolates and other candy from Holland. The door swung shut with a clanging bell as she walked out in to the cold day that looked like it was going to snow.

"Hey lady," A gruff voice said.

A hand pushed her around the corner into an alley full of garbage dumpsters. Old black snow and ice covered the ground. She slipped and fell to the ground with a cry.

"Don't move lady. I just want the money."

"I haf no money."

Someone kicked her shoulder. She cried out and rolled over on the slippery and filthy pavement. The man standing over her reached down and grabbed her purse. He held a gun to her face. "Don't move old lady."

A gunshot echoed in the alleyway and the world went black for Helga in the cold afternoon light. Footsteps ran out of the alleyway but she didn't hear them.

----

Emily lay with her head on Reid's chest. His hands rubbed lazy little circles over the bare skin of her back.

"That was amazing," he said at last. "Where did you learn to do that?'

Emily laughed, "You liked that baby."

"Very much," he practically purred like a kitten.

She laughed again. "Play your card right and I might do it again."

He kissed her, "I'll be a good boy if you keep that promise."

"We'll see," She looked up at him and smiled. "You look so cute lying there all smug and satisfied."

He lightly smacked her shoulder. "Very funny," He said.

"I try!" She said with an air of smugness that made him laugh.

"Now that the waiting is over, you promise we're going to do this on a regular basis."

"Well yeah… Celibacy is a highly over rated thing Spencer, especially when I have you in my bed."

"You know I love you right." He said, going pink in the cheeks under her adoring gaze.

"Yes…"

"You know I love Aaron with all my heart. I couldn't go on without you. You and my mom are the reasons I get up in the morning."

"You're scaring me Spencer."

He reached up to push a lock of hair back from her face. "I'm sorry. I just mean that it's never just going to be about sex."

Emily giggled, her body shook as she laughed. "Well that's too bad because for me it's all about the sex."

Reid pushed her over on her back. "Not funny," he said, but he was laughing.

The baby monitor sprang to life on the bedside table breaking into the moment before they got lost in themselves.

"I'll get him." Emily stood and put on her robe.

"Emily?'

"What?"

"Can you bring Aaron in here for a minute?"

She smiled at his mussed hair and the little smile on his beautiful face. "Of course," she assured him.

When she came back to the room Reid was still in bed propped up on some pillows. Aaron was very fussy, but he didn't need a diaper change.

"It's only been less then two hours since I fed him, but I guess I try and see if that's what he wants."

She climbed back on the bed and slid back to lean on Reid's chest. He put his arms around them both as she adjusted her robe to free a breast for Aaron. The baby didn't want supper, but he stopped fussing when Reid began stroking his head with is long fingers.

"I guess he needed daddy nearby." Emily said.

"I need both of you nearby." He said into her neck as he looked over her shoulder at the baby. "Emily, can I ask you something?"

"Sure," she put one hand over his that touched Aaron's face.

"Do you want to have another baby? "

She leaned back and looked up at his face. "What?"

"You and I are only children. I just don't want that for Aaron. I want him to have someone he can play with and plot adventures with, or do any number of things kids do together."

"Honey… I just had a baby and you want to do this again?"

"Yeah… I know it's a lot to ask, but there's not a lot of time for us because you… Well I'm sorry Emily, but your age makes it -"

"It makes it more dangerous for another baby if we wait."

"You're not mad at me."

"No… I'm just a little off balance. I never thought about Aaron being an only child. I got pregnant because I wanted to fill a need that was unbearable for me. I never thought about how selfish it is."

Reid hugged her tight. "I didn't mean to hurt your feelings."

"You didn't, and I'm not saying no. I want to have another baby with you. I just want you to know that it might not be as easy as you think. We conceived Aaron with help. What if we can't do it on our own?"

"I could quote a lot of statistics to make my point, but I don't think you want to hear it so I'll say have faith. If we have to do artificial insemination again, we will. And for the record, you're not selfish. You're the least selfish person I know."

Aaron began to burble and clap his hands together as if in agreement with his father.

"Okay… We'll try again, but I think we should wait till Aaron's at least a year old to start."

"I agree… your body needs time to bounce back from Aaron's birth. Did you know that the reason for many of the deaths among pregnant women or women giving birth a hundred years ago was because they often had one child after another and didn't -"

The phone rang before Emily could interrupt his lecture. Reid reached over the picked up his cell phone.

"Reid," he said. His face went white. God she hoped Hotch wasn't calling them in despite his promise that they would be off until Monday.

"What?" Reid was saying. She wiggled away from him and took Aaron back to the nursery.

She shut the door and rocked Aaron until he fell asleep. She was just putting him back in his crib when Reid came in. His eyes were huge and dark. He looked as angry as she'd ever seen him.

"Spencer?"

"Not here," he whispered.

She noticed he was fully dressed. "What happened Spencer?" She demanded as he led her back to their room.

"That was Detective Myers from the DC police. Helga was attacked."

----

"I promise we'll take good care of Aaron." JJ said as she saw them to the door of the home she shared with Will and Henry.

"Don't worry you two, he'll be just fine," Will said with a smile. "Henry will love playing big brother for a few hours."

"Thank you…" Emily said to JJ.

The blond media specialist watched Reid head to the car without as much as a goodbye or a thank you. She turned to her friend. "He'll be okay," JJ, said suddenly laying a hand on Emily's arm.

"It took him so long to warm up to her. This is killing him. She's become a substitute mother for him."

"Go…" JJ pushed her gently in the direction of the car. "Call us if you're going to be late and you need us to take Aaron for the night."

"I will… Thanks again JJ."

Reid had the car going by the time Emily climbed out of the cold into the warmth of the automobile. Reid put the car in gear and pulled out of the driveway. Georgetown University Hospital was a much closer drive this time than it had been when he'd driven her there for Aaron's birth. This time he didn't speak to her. She could see his hands shaking on the wheel in the low light of the dashboard.

"She's going to be okay. We'll find who did this and put them away."

"It's my fault." He said after miles had passed them by and they were turning off the road to the hospital.

"It's not your fault. She went to that same market every week. There's no way to know that she'd be targeted like that."

"That part of the city is supposed to be safe. She shops there because of her friends and to get treats for us."

"Spencer… She does that because she cares about us. She loves you very much. We're her family."

He parked the car and turned off the engine. "I should have known something was wrong when it took her so long to come home."

"How could you know something was wrong? You're not clairvoyant."

"I was too busy having sex." He snapped at her.

"Hey… Don't yell at me Spencer Reid. You weren't just having sex Spencer unless you've decided that's all I am to you, a good lay."

"I didn't say that Emily!"

"No, you might as well have said it. We were enjoying physical love. People who love each other are intimate. Are you going to tell Helga every time you want to make love with me so she doesn't get mugged on a street corner?"

"No Emily… That's not what I meant. I'm sorry. I didn't mean to make light of today. It was wonderful."

She turned and pulled him into her arms. "What's wrong baby?"

"I can't get it out of my mind. That attack happened while we were so happy with Aaron. It wasn't right."

"She'd say, "Do not be saying that Spencer. It is not your fault. You must be happy vith your little family." Emily said in a very good imitation of their housekeeper.

"I know… I just can't help it."

"Then do what you do best baby."

He pulled away from her. "What's that," He squeaked.

"Find this guy and put him away."

"Count on it!"


	32. Chapter 32

_**Disclaimer: See my profile**_

The double glass doors to the ER slid open with a hiss, allowing Reid and Emily entrance to the busy waiting area. Reid strode to the admitting desk, pushing in front of a very large man who held a blood soaked cloth to his face.

"Hey…" The man hollered at Reid, who ignored him.

Reid placed his badge on the counter. "I need to see Helga Steiner."

"Wait your turn!" The large man growled, dropping a hand on Reid's shoulder.

Reid spun around and confronted the bleeding man. "Take your hand off my shoulder or I'll arrest you for assaulting a federal officer.

"Spencer!"

"Back off Emily. "

"No you back off…" An angry nurse said from behind the counter. "I don't care who you are. You will wait till I've tended to this man."

She stared Reid down until he grabbed his badge and went to the far end of the waiting room with Emily following. Everyone in the room was staring at him as if he'd just tried to kill a nun.

"Spencer Reid! You need to sit down and calm down." Emily hissed at him.

He shot her an angry glare and then seemed to collapse into the chair she'd pushed him into. "I'm sorry…" He whispered as Emily stared down the people that were watching them until they went back to their own business. "I hate people who throw their weight around to get what they want and look at me." He continued.

"I'm not going to say that was your finest moment Dr. Reid."

"Thanks!"

"Don't get petulant with me." She argued quietly. "You lost it over there. I know how much Helga means to you. I love her too, but you have to calm down and wait your turn. "

"I said I'm sorry."

"Then prove it. Don't sulk and don't let Helga see you like this."

"I just want to see that she's okay."

"I know baby… I need to know it too."

"Excuse me!"

The nurse at the desk had come over to them. "You wanted to see Helga Steiner?" Her dark eyes snapped with irritation as she looked at Reid.

"Yes… Um, look I'm sorry about before," Reid said going pink in the cheeks. "We're just very worried about her. She's part of our family and -"

"It's okay." The irritation softened in the nurse's face. She smiled at Reid. "What's your name?"

"I'm Supervisory Special Agent Dr. Spencer Reid. I work at the BAU in Quantico. Mrs. Steiner is our housekeeper. We're very worried about her."

"She's in exam room D. There's a Detective from the DC police talking to her." The nurse glanced at her paperwork. "She put you down as her emergency contact. Go ahead and go back."

"Thank you," Emily said.

"You're welcome." She gave Reid another smile and went back to her desk.

"See… Even when you've been acting like a jackass, you can still charm the ladies."

"Very funny!"

"Come on… Let's go see how she is and talk to the detective."

----

It was strange how a room in the hospital looked so different depending on why you were there. If you were visiting, it was a time to look around and wonder what all the tubes and gadgets were for. If you were there because you were sick or hurt, all you can think about is your pain or if you will get better.

Helga's thoughts about her stay were interrupted by her beloved Liebchen entering the closed off cubicle. Her beautiful Miss Emily was smiling, but her dark eyes were strained and full of worry. Her Spencer looked very upset. His face was very white and his old eyes looked haunted. It was not right that he should be so upset. She had to do something.

"Hello my Liebchen. I am very sorry to be making so much trouble for you."

"You're not any trouble for us." Reid went to her and stood anxiously at the left side of her bed.

"I should be more careful. I jus vanted to see an old friend and buy some treats for you."

Emily took Helga's hand, "We don't blame you Helga. We just want you to be safe and catch the person that did this."

"Can you tell us what happened?" Reid said.

"Vell… I vas in ze Dutch store. I bought some chocolate for a cake for you." She looked up at Reid and saw guilt flash in his eyes. "I vanted to do it Spencer. It is not your fault." She reached out and grabbed his hand so that her children held each of her hands. It made some of the fear and pain of her injuries feel better.

"So I left and zere was a voice that asked for my money. He pushed me down en ze alleyway. He had a gun and shot. I zought I vas dead." She squeezed their hands when they both exclaimed in horror.

"Ze nice detective said he missed and hit the wall behind him. I guess he vas scared because vhen I opened my eyes he vas gone and ze police vere zer. Zey vere very nice boys like my Spencer." She beamed at him and he went pink."

"Can you remember what he looked like?"

The Detective came into the room interrupting her before she could answer Spencer's question.

Detective Myers greeted them. "So you're the famous FBI agents she's been going on and on about."

"I'm SSA Emily Prentiss and this is Dr. Reid." Emily said.

Reid shook the detective's hand. "Have you found anything?"

"We have a witness that saw the man running from the scene. Your housekeeper says she saw him. She says she can identify him. From her description he sounds like a junkie I'm familiar with but I haven't been able to pin anything solid on him."

"Can the person that saw him identify the suspect?" Emily asked.

"No… He was seen from the back. The witness, a customer from the same store can identify what the man was wearing. She saw the back of his head and the hair color, but that was all. Still, it was enough to find him and pick him up. I hope Mrs. Steiner will agree to help us with a line-up."

"I vant to do zis Liebchen." Helga said.

There was no way she was going to let that young man hurt someone else. Dr. Reid would understand even if he didn't look happy about it. She knew he knew it had to be that way.

"Do you understand?" She asked him.

"Yes… We have to do everything, but I want to come with you to the lineup."

"Ja… I am hoping you vill come."

"The doctor said she would be back soon." Detective Myers put in. "Why don't I leave you alone? I'll call my watch commander and report in."

He left them alone again. Almost immediately, the young woman doctor that had been so kind to her entered the cubicle with a big smile.

"How are you feeling now Helga?"

"I am fine. Am I going home?"

"Yes… Is this your family?" She addressed Reid and Emily.

"Ja, Zey are my family. Zey are both FBI agents." Helga said proudly.

"Well, Helga is fine. She has some contusions and a nice bump on her head, but no concussion. A couple ribs might have some bruising, but they're not broken or cracked. She needs her rest."

"Thank you doctor…" Reid said.

"I'm Dr. Page. It's been a pleasure to know Mrs. Steiner. Please make sure she follows up with her doctor in a couple of days."

"We will," Reid said firmly.

The tiny blond haired doctor turned back at the door. "Kara will be in soon to go over your prescription and your paperwork so we can get you out of here."

----

The night had closed in turning black in the sky with white pinpoints of starlight. The moon hung full and low lighting the parking lot beyond the double doors of the emergency room. The nurse wheeled Helga out into the cold with Emily following behind them. Reid had fetched the car so they didn't' have to wait long in the bitter cold of the clear night.

"Now Helga… You get some rest." Kara said, patting her charge on the shoulder.

"I must go to ze police station now and give my identification."

"Can't you wait until tomorrow?" The nurse scolded.

"No I must go tonight," Helga said as Emily held open the door to the front seat.

She ignored the housekeeper who tried to say that the back was good enough for her. "No… You sit in front and be comfortable. The back is fine for me.

She climbed in and strapped on her seat belt as Reid pulled away from the curb. "Wow… It's cold out there. It feels good in here."

"Yes…. Zank you my Liebchen. I am sorry I am being so much trouble."

"Like we said, you're not trouble." Emily argued. "We love you. Please let us take you home. The lineup can wait."

"No it can't," Reid spoke up from the front seat. "We need to m-move on this n-now." He said, his voice shaking a bit.

"Spencer…"

"Dr. Reid is right; I must go tonight and make sure zis bad man cannot hurt someone else."

"Please Helga!"

"It vill be alright Liebchen. I am going to haf you and Spencer vith me."

Emily watched the black night rush by as the car went silent. It was true that the sooner they finished this the better it would be. Her hands began to sweat. It was different when you were doing your job and you had to interview witnesses that you didn't know. Now it was family.

Streetlights went by in a blur of red, green, and gold. How could she go in there and keep her cool? Miles passed in silence as they headed downtown. The clock on the dash read eight pm. Too soon, the car turned into the police station. It was time to help Helga identify her attacker.


	33. Chapter 33

_**Disclaimer: see my profile**_

The precinct looked like every other police station Reid had seen in his career. It was busier than most, with a couple of battered women weeping quietly on the shoulders of two different social workers. There were sullen and bored looking hookers and loudly protesting drunks. One of the drunks stumbled past in the care of a beat cop. The strong smell of alcohol, sweat and urine brought tears to Reid's eyes and tested his gag reflex to its limits.

"Charming," Emily murmured in his ear.

"Dr Reid… Over here," a voice shouted at them as they moved across the bullpen.

Detective Myers sat at a desk in an uncluttered corner of the room. "Thanks for coming in Mrs. Steiner." He greeted them. "I know it's late and you're in pain. I'll make this as quick as I can."

Myers led the way past the squad room to a large room at the end of a dingy hallway. It contained a chair with a metal table and a large, two-way mirror along one wall.

"Mrs. Steiner," Detective Myers pulled out the chair for her. "In a minute, several men will come into that room." He pointed at the mirror.

Reid watched his housekeeper as she looked at the mirror. She nodded to the detective. He noticed that her large grey eyes were close to tears and her hands were trembling.

_Oh God… Should he do something? _

Yes… He wanted to do something as soon as Helga identified the guilty man. He wanted to put some of the moves Morgan had been teaching him into practice. It would be nice to break the man's nose and watch him bleed as Helga had from a few cuts on her hands.

_Blood for blood… maybe the old punishments were best. Like an eye for an eye. _

Emily touched his hand, which had closed into a fist. She smiled at him and took that same hand in hers, trying to smooth out the fist.

"I promise they won't be able to see or hear you." The detective was saying.

A tear slid down Helga's face. Reid pulled his hand from Emily and went to his housekeeper. He reached out a hand and laid it on her shoulder. She looked around and smiled gratefully to him. She reached up a trembling hand and put it over his, clutching at his long fingers as though they were a life preserver on the high seas. His heart started to thump as rage washed over him at her fear. She was the strong one in their little family, right behind Emily. It wasn't right for her to be so scared.

"Okay…" Detective Myers said into an intercom. "Bring them in."

A group of five men ambled into the room in single file. Each of them wore a placard around their neck with a number on it. Only one stared directly into the mirror as though he could feel the eyes on him.

They were similar in build and color. They all wore the same type of clothing. They all looked bored and unconcerned by the proceedings.

"Now Mrs. Steiner, take a close look at all of them. Just take your time and be sure."

The detective instructed the men to step forward into the light one by one. He also instructed them to say their names and ages for the record. They stepped back one by one while the moment seemed to drag on forever.

Reid felt the hand she'd placed over his tremble harder as she spoke. "Zat is ze one. It is number four."

The man was very large with dirty blond hair and ice blue eyes. He wore a dark green hooded sweatshirt. He was the one that Reid had noticed staring into the two-way mirror.

"Are you sure?" Detective Myers said.

"I am sure!"

"You just made my day."

"I'd like to talk to him." Reid said. "Why?"

"I'm a profiler. I'm sure I can get a truthful statement from him. Men like him tend to look at me as little threat." He said through gritted teeth.

"I don't think so Dr. Reid."

Reid ignored the detective and headed for the door. "Dr Reid!"

"Spencer…" Emily and the detective spoke at the same time.

Reid opened the door. The detective reached out a hand and pushed it shut with a snap. "Don't push me detective." Reid's eyes went flat and cold.

"The FBI has no jurisdiction here. This is a simple case of mugging. We don't need the BAU throwing their weight around."

"It's not a simple case of mugging!" Reid shot back. "Now get out of my way!"

"Spencer!"

He looked around in surprise at the authority in Helga's voice and the strength that had returned to her tone. "It is alright Liebchen. May ve jus go home now and see Aaron?"

His shoulders went down. He let go of the doorknob and flinched when Helga engulfed him in a hug. After a minute, he hugged her back.

"I'm sorry detective," he said after she let him go.

The tall grey haired detective's face softened. His dark eyes brightened a little, "its okay Dr Reid. I promise this guy's going to pay."

"Thank you," Reid said shaking the detective's hand.

"Of course… We've always had a good working relationship with the Bureau. I hope that continues."

"So do we," Emily said.

Detective Myers showed Helga back to his desk so she could give a final official statement about the attack.

"She's going to be okay." Emily touched Reid's arm.

"I know… I 'm sorry I lost it in there."

"It's okay… I understand. Let's just go get Aaron and go home."

Reid's eyes warmed to milk chocolate as she held his hand. "I think I like that idea very much."

----

The little family arrived at home just before midnight. Emily took Aaron from the car and into the house. Spencer helped Helga into the house. He reset the alarm and followed her to her room.

"I am okay Liebchen. I jus need some sleep."

"You're going to stay in bed." He said as he took the baby monitor from her bedside table.

"Oh… I love to see to ze tiny Liebchen!" She complained turning a puppy dog look on the young profiler.

"No… Emily and I will see to you and to him until we have to go back to work next week. I'm sure you'll be much better by then. If not, we'll get someone to help."

"I do not need to stay in bed for three days. I must do my job and take care of you."

Reid put her bag on the small night table near her bed. "If you promise to let Emily and I take care of you, I'll bring Aaron in once a day for you to see."

Grey eyes clashed with brown until Helga sat down in defeat at the edge of her bed. "Does he alvays get his vay like zat?" Helga asked Emily who'd just come into the room.

"Yes… I agree Helga. You must get some rest. We need you." She sat down and patted Helga's hand. "Aaron needs you to be healthy and strong for him."

"I am thinking you two are - how do you say - making ze double team at me."

Reid went pink in the cheeks while Emily giggled. "We just want you to be healthy and happy." Emily hugged Helga. The housekeeper winced and groaned.

"Are you okay?" Reid said anxiously.

"I am hurting a little."

"Here," Reid fumbled a package from his messenger bag. "Take your pain medication and then you can sleep."

"I do not want to go to sleep."

"Please!"

Helga shook her head. "You see how he jus looks at you and you do vhat he vants." She said to Emily.

Emily shrugged her shoulders and smiled. "I don't know what to tell you Helga. Don't fight it."

"Hey!"

"Get out of here Spencer! I'm going to help Helga get ready for bed." Emily shooed him away.

"Fine, but we're going to have a talk about that last comment."

"Sure baby, now go get into bed. I'll be up in a few minutes."

----

Emily helped Helga out of her clothes and into her long white cotton nightgown. The blooming bruises on her housekeeper's hip and her left side brought tears to her eyes.

"It is nothing Liebchen. I remember when I vas a little girl in Ze Fatherland. We had a pond of water a mile from my house. I vent skating vith my older brother and fell many times. Ze bruises vere vorse zen today."

Sophie appeared in the room just as Helga was getting laboriously into bed. "Sophie… Get out of here!" Emily scolded the cat.

Sophie ignored her and jumped up on the bed. She snuggled close to Helga and began to purr looking pointedly at the woman she fought with constantly.

"Sophie!"

The cat ignored Emily and continued to stare at the housekeeper. "Ze cat is acting very strange." Helga said, but she didn't move to shoo the cat away.

Instead, Emily watched with amazement as Helga reached out and began to scratch the cat behind the ears. The cat purred louder and her eyes fluttered shut.

"Hey… Is there something I should know?" Emily said putting her hands on her hips.

"No… I jus vanted to pet her. She is being very different today."

"Spencer told me that cats and dogs can sense when people are hurt or sick. I thought it was another strange fact he had stored in his brain, but maybe he was right."

"Vell… I suppose she may stay here for avhile."

"Are you sure?"

"Ja, it is okay."

"Can I get you some water?" Emily asked.

"No. You haf done too much. It es very late now. You must be very tired now."

"I am a little tired." Emily agreed. "I'll see you in the morning. Please let me know if you need anything in the night Helga."

"I vill Liebchen. Now go get some rest so zat you may be ready to take care of little Aaron."

"Goodnight Helga."

"Goodnight Miss Emily."

Helga looked down at the cat who was staring up at her. "Zis does not mean zat you and I am best friends."

The cat stared at her.

"Vell maybe ve can be civil I think is the vord."

Sophie pushed her head into Helga's hand. "Alright… But you may not sleep on ze bed!"

Sophie meowed and jumped off the bed. She lay on the floor next to the bed. Helga shut off the light on the nightstand as the cat jumped back up on the bed.

"Zis is alvays going to be a problem, ja." Helga said to the cat in the dark.

Sophie meowed.

"I thought so."

----

Emily entered the bedroom to find Spencer all ready for bed. He sat with a book that Emily noticed was upside down in his hands.

"You're not reading that," Emily smiled.

"Oh… Um, I was just thinking."

"About what," Emily pulled off her sweater and went to the closet.

"I was thinking about tonight. I embarrassed you and Helga and I'm sorry."

"You didn't embarrass me Spencer. You did what you thought was best."

"I acted like a jackass, remember?"

Emily placed her jeans, and under clothing in the hamper. "Yes you did, but I can understand why." She pulled on a red tank and blue pajama bottoms. "It was kind of sexy in an overprotective sort of way." She climbed on the bed next to him and took the book out of his hands.

"Really?"

"Yep, just don't go so far overboard next time."

"Okay."

She switched off the light and turned into his arms. "I'm tired." He said after she kissed him.

"Too bad!"

"Now who's being demanding?'

"Do you have a problem with that?'

"No, I still haven't got the last four months out of my system."

"That's okay," She pulled off his tee shirt. "Neither have I."


	34. Chapter 34

_**Disclaimer: see my profile**_

Emily yawned and pulled her robe around her waist. Reid's side of the bed was empty and cold. She trudged across the hall to the nursery and found it empty. She rubbed at her eyes and wondered where he had got. She went downstairs, lured by the smell of coffee in the kitchen.

"Good morning Helga," she yawned at the housekeeper.

The tall German woman was busy with whisking eggs in a glass bowl. "Ah Miss Emily… You look so tired. Are you vanting ze coffee zis morning?"

"Yes! I was looking for Spencer. Have you seen him?"

"Ja, ze doctor is viz ze tiny Liebchen in your office. Ze poor baby vas very unhappy, but ze doctor vould not let me take care of him."

Emily took a closer look at their housekeeper who had bounced back quickly after her attack one month ago. "You look very tired too Helga. You should let me help you."

"I am okay Miss Emily, but it vas very late vhen Spencer and ze tiny Liebchen vere quiet."

"I'm going to go wake Spencer. Will you be okay with Aaron here today?" She took a welcome sip of her coffee, letting the hot drink wipe the fuzz off her teeth and tongue.

"Of course I vill… Little Aaron is jus unhappy to be - how do you say - teezing."

"I know… I feel so bad for him. It must hurt very much. I wish Spencer had called for me to help. He shouldn't have let me sleep."

"He said zat one of you had to be avake today."

"I know, but I wish he'd called me." Emily argued. "I'll be back with him for some coffee in a few minutes."

"Okay Miss Emily."

Emily left her coffee cup on the table and went down the hall to her shared office with Spencer. She pushed open the door and peeked inside.

Reid lay asleep on the futon that sat against one wall. Aaron was on his chest, sleeping peacefully. They both looked so young, more like brothers, than father and son.

"I wish I could let you sleep." She whispered to her lover.

"I wish you could too." He opened his eyes and blinked in the low light from the hallway.

"Why didn't you let Helga or me help you last night?"

"There was no need for the whole house to be up."

"I know, but you have to work today." Emily watched as Aaron shifted in Reid's arms.

"So do you. One of us should be halfway alert."

"Spencer…"

"It's over now. Why don't you take him while I go up and shower? I just need hot water and a cup of coffee and I'll be fine."

He gave her the baby and stood up. He swayed and stumbled as though coming off a cheap drunk. "I'm okay!" He insisted.

"Sure you are, go upstairs and get into bed. I'll deal with Hotch. Helga can take care of Aaron."

"Emily I can't take the day off."

"You can and you will!"

"You're kind of scary when you order me around." He was weakening she could see.

"I'm a kick ass FBI agent remember."

"When I stop feeling like I'm trying to walk against hurricane force winds, I'll argue about that with you."

She stepped over and planted a hard kiss on his lips.

"That didn't help my loopy head."

"Since when does the genius say words like loopy?"

"When I'm going on less than two hours sleep…"

She followed him all the way to the stairs. Aaron woke after Spencer was out of sight, calling for his breakfast. He seemed to be feeling a bit better that morning. She hoped his misery was over for a little while.

"Poor baby," She said as she went to the kitchen. "Mama will feed you and them you can get some sleep like daddy."

She went to the kitchen and explained to Helga that Spencer would be staying home. She fed the baby and had a quick plate of eggs and some fruit.

"Do not vorry Miss Emily. I vill take care of ze Liebchen. Zey vill be jus fine."

"Promise me that you'll get some rest when Aaron sleeps. You look tired."

"I vill Miss Emily," she promised. "Now you must go get ready for vork,"

Helga watched her employer head upstairs with Aaron. When her Liebchen was out of hearing, she picked up the phone.

"Ja, it is Helga… Ve must do somezing… No zey are all okay. Aaron is keeping them up viz ze teezing… Ja, he is okay. Ja, I vill take care of it. Vill you talk to Miss Emily? Ja, it is no problem. I am liking your idea. Ja, zank you. Zey need some time to be alone. Ja, it vill vork. Goodbye…."

She put the phone in its charging cradle and began cleaning up from breakfast. Soon ze doctor and Miss Emily would have a surprise.

---

Emily poured a fresh cup of coffee from the pot in the break room. The smell was so tantalizing she couldn't resist even though since having Aaron she'd allowed herself only one cup a day so as not to overdose the little guy on caffeine.

"Hey Emily…." JJ breezed into the break room with a stack of files in her arms that Emily sincerely hoped weren't mean for her.

"Hi JJ. How're Henry and Will?"

"They're doing great. Henry is so cute, toddling all over the place. Of course, Will said I wouldn't be so happy with his walking if I were there all the time making sure he doesn't get into everything not nailed down. He was so cute the other day. Do you remember the puppy we had last summer? Well, the dog has gotten big and Henry thought he would try to chase him through the snow. Well the poor little guy slipped and face planted in the snow. I shouldn't have laughed because he was not happy with a face full of snow, but I couldn't help myself. Then Rex came over and started licking his face like crazy. It was too funny. Will had to rescue him, but he was laughing too. You know parents should write all this stuff down because it would be -"

She suddenly broke off. "Hey, you're staring at the wall like it was going to get up and walk away. What's wrong? Have I become one of those parents that bore their friends to tears with their stories?"

"It's not you JJ. I've bored you with enough stories about Aaron and he's only four months old. It was just a bad night."

JJ nodded her head and picked up the coffee pot. "Oh… One of _thos_e nights."

"Unfortunately no… Aaron is starting to teethe and Spencer was up with him all night. I was up pretty late myself. I thought Aaron had gone to sleep, but he woke again and Spencer didn't tell me about it."

"Wait a minute!" JJ held up a hand. "You said 'unfortunately not…' then you go into this explanation about Aaron. What did you mean?"

Emily went red. "Did I say that out loud? I thought you were thinking about other late night activities."

JJ grinned, "Oh…"

"Don't say it like that. I misunderstood you, that's all."

"_Okay_, don't get upset. I just want you to be happy."

Emily drooped against the counter top. "I'm sorry… I feel so bad for Aaron and I love him so much, but I love Spencer too. Our entire relationship has been backwards from the word go. I mean, we've never gone out on an actual date since Aaron was conceived."

"Meaning you've never been out on a date." JJ interpreted.

"Yeah… I just want time to spend with him alone for a little while."

"You know Will and I will sit with him anytime. You have Helga too I'm sure she'd -"

"I can't ask her or any of you to take responsibility for him while he's teething. It's not right."

"You need a break!"

"I can't do it JJ."

"Okay… I'll leave it alone." JJ said.

"You coming," Emily asked as she headed out into the bullpen.

"Right behind you." She followed Emily to her desk dropped half the dreaded stack on Morgan's desk and carried the other half up the stairs.

"Hey… Why do I get half and you didn't give any to the happy couple." Morgan called after her.

"Suck it up!" JJ said as she hurried off to Garcia's office.

"What's wrong with everyone today?" Morgan asked Emily. "And, where's our resident genius today?"

"He's sleeping! Leave JJ _alone_," Emily snapped going back to her files.

"_Geez_… What's with everyone?" He sulked.

He'd go see Garcia once JJ was done. Whatever was going on, she'd know and tell him. Satisfied with that plan he went back to his stack of files with a happy smile.

----

"Come in…" Garcia called when a tap sounded on her door.

"Hey Garcia…"

"Hey there Sunshine! What's up?"

"We have a big problem," She responded dropping into the extra chair.

"Let me guess, it has to do with a certain genius and his fair lady love."

"Why do I even try to surprise you?" JJ whined.

"There's a reason why Morgan calls me goddess. I know all and see all."

"No! You just have good contacts."

"You wound me my dove."

"Garcia!" JJ slapped her files down on the edge of Garcia's desk impatiently.

"Okay… I got a call from a certain German housekeeper."

"You talk to Helga!"

"Yeah… Who do you think found her for Reid? He likes to take credit for her, but she was my idea."

"Do I want to know?

"It's better that you don't," Garcia said with an innocent smile.

"So what did Helga say?"

"The same thing you did. They need a night out and I'm thinking I know exactly how to make that happen."

JJ narrowed her eyes at the tech who wore a brilliant red blouse with a white, yellow and red striped skirt. Her hair was in two braided pigtails and her earrings were in the shape of two red hearts.

"Are you sure this is going to work?"

"Yeah… It's Valentines Day in three days. We're going to give them a night they won't forget."


	35. Chapter 35

_**Disclaimer: see my profile**_

"I can't believe we almost said no to this," Reid said as he tied his tie.

"I'm glad we didn't," Emily said, spraying on perfume. "It's Valentines Day Spencer."

"I know… I just can't believe we have a night all to ourselves." He declared.

"I hope Aaron's okay." Emily worried as she smoothed the dress she wore.

Reid put his arms around her waist. "He's going to be just fine. We've left him alone with Helga before," He reminded her.

"I just feel kind of selfish coming here when he's suffering."

Reid hugged her tight and kissed her neck. "Come on Emily…" He whispered seductively in her ear. "Helga's been through this before, she knows what to do. He loves her. He was sleeping peacefully when we left. Let's just enjoy our 'first date' okay?"

Emily laughed. "I can't believe we're engaged and here we are on our very first official date. It's crazy!"

Reid pulled away, walked around her and looked her over very carefully. "It doesn't matter to me that we've done everything backwards. You look so beautiful tonight. That's the all that matters to me."

"Really?"

She spun around in her dark violet dress that gathered in at the waist and flared at the hips. It fell to just below her knees. The straps holding it up were spaghetti straps with a low cut heart shaped neckline.

"Y-yes…" He stammered going pink in the cheeks. "I have something for you. I was going to give it to you at home tonight." He pulled a small black velvet box from his messenger bag and handed it to her with trembling fingers. "I h-hope you l-like it," He squeaked.

She opened the box and removed a thin gold chain with a simple gold locket. She opened it and found miniature pictures of her and Spencer inside.

"It's beautiful!" She breathed. "Thank you so much."

"Here… I'll help you put it on."

She held up her hair with trembling hands as he moved closer and put the pendant around her neck. The scent of him washed over her and she shivered. He kissed her neck and heat fired in her belly. "You have my heart." He said softly. "I just wanted everyone else to see."

She turned in his arms and kissed him. Her mouth opened and their tongues began to battle intensely. The heat in her belly flared into fire. She didn't realize she was groaning until his lips were gone.

"Um… We s-should go down to d-dinner." He stammered crimson faced.

"Do we have to?" She could barely breathe.

"Well JJ did get us this room and dinner. Her friend runs the place. It might be embarrassing if we don't go down for dinner."

"Spencer Reid! We have a four-month-old baby. We've seen each other naked. We have sex on a regular basis now. I don't think anyone would mind if we skip dinner on Valentine's Day for other things." She ran a fingernail down the front of the dark blue dress shirt he wore.

"Emily!"

"In fact…" She went on while playing with his tie. "I think it's expected."

"That's my point!" He squeaked. "They'll all know what we're doing!"

"You're so cute when you're embarrassed."

"Emily!'

"Okay, we'll go down and eat. JJ said the food is first class." Emily relented.

Reid hugged her close. "Remember my place for later." He whispered.

"You're a tease Spence."

"I love you."

Tears backed up in her eyes. He could move her so deeply at the most unexpected times. "I love you too baby."

----

The hotel restaurant had a four star rating. The name over the door was said simply, "The Grille at Jefferson House."

The décor was all wood paneling. Mahogany tables were scattered around the room. Rose silk upholstery covered the chairs. The lights were set in old-fashioned glass and metal sconces. Etching on the glass sconces made them appear as wavering gas when lit.

A man in a black tuxedo greeted them as they stepped through the carved wooden arch that held the name of the restaurant. "You must be Dr Reid and Agent Prentiss," he said quietly and in a very haughty voice as though federal officers and genii were an affront to his job.

"Yes we are," Reid said clutching tightly to Emily's hand.

"The owner sends her compliments and commands that you be seated at the best table in the house." He said looking them over as though they were dressed in rags.

Reid pulled at his tie. "Um… thank you."

Emily stared at the maitre d' until he turned away and led them from the entryway. "What a snob!" She whispered to Reid. "I wonder why Susan puts up with him."

"It's like something out of a book or an old movie." Spencer agreed with a shy smile.

"Here's is your table sir. Will you have wine tonight?" He said with a look on his face as though he smelled something nasty on his shoe.

"Maurice!" A woman's voice interrupted the maitre d'.

"Yes ma'am?"

"I'll take care of Dr Reid and SSA Prentiss myself."

A very short round woman dressed in the white pants and coat of a chef stepped out of the shadowy background of the room. A white cap hid her raven hair. Her unusual blue eyes twinkled with delight at the couple. "I'm Susan Baker. The Jefferson house is my place."

The very tall, thin grey haired maitre d' bowed to his boss and walked away in a stiff legged gait with his nose in the air.

"I apologize for Maurice. He sort of came with the place. I bought it three years ago and refurbished it into what you see." Susan said as the couple sat down. "Please choose anything you want from the menu. It's on the house."

"We can't do that!" Reid protested.

"Of course you can. JJ is a great friend. We went to college together and she'd gotten me out of some tight jams. I owe her big time." She winked at Emily. "I'll send your sommelier right over."

Then she was gone, disappearing into the back room as if she'd never been there. "Wow!" Reid said.

"Yeah… I think I like her a lot," Emily said as Reid pulled out her chair.

"Me too," He said looking like he was admitting to stealing the collection plate money from church.

Emily picked up her menu. "I think I'm going to have the crab cake."

Reid made a face. "No fish for me."

"Oh baby, I forgot. I'll get something else."

"No!" He took her hand over the real linen instead tablecloth. "You have what you want."

"But Spencer -"

"It's okay! I am tired of constant reminders of Georgia and Tobias Henkel. Have what you want. It's time for me to stop wallowing."

"Hey…" Emily reached over and took his hand. "You're not wallowing. My God Spencer, you were beaten, tortured, forced chose between life and death of strangers. That's just what Rafael and Charles did to you. I think," She said swallowing against the tears of sympathy that wanted to fall, "I think Tobias visited the worst torture on you."

"Emily… He saved my life."

"Yeah, after he killed you with torture, and drugs. I know Charles and Rafael physically hurt you. Tobias administered the drug to you against your will. He forcibly addicted you."

"And I was the one that refused to turn my back on them after it was over."

"Spencer…"

"It's true Emily."

"Excuse me." A voice said from their right. "I'm Mary. I'll be your server today." A medium built blond woman wearing a white shirt and black skirt approached them. "Are you ready to order?"

"Yes we are," Reid said firmly. "She wants the crab cake with leek cream sauce."

"Spencer!"

"I'll have the veal jus with risotto roasted pumpkin."

"Very good sir," the server took their menus and left.

"I didn't think you'd eat anything on this menu." Emily said. "I thought you're a junk food kind of guy." She smiled at him.

"I thought I'd try something new. Besides, this was the only thing on the menu that I really recognized."

"Spencer!"

"Look, I told you I'm not going to wallow and I mean it. I know you think I wasn't responsible, but I was. I could have asked for help at anytime and I didn't."

"We didn't help you." Emily said miserably.

"I wouldn't have let you Emily. Don't you understand?"

"I know…" She said quietly. "I just wish -"

"If wishes were pennies I'd be a millionaire by now. I have all that I need in my life. I have you and Aaron, and Helga."

"And Sophie," Emily said slyly."

"And Sophie," he rolled his eyes as the sommelier brought their wine and decanted it."

"You can pretend all you want that you're indifferent to her, but I know better."

"I admit it, she's great. Are you happy?"

"Yes!"

"Can we talk about something else now?"

Emily looked around the room. No one else was close to their corner table. The walls behind them and to the left and right were glass. A stone walkway surrounded the building and beyond that were denuded oak trees and firs. The black night pressed in on the glass and as she watched, it began to snow lightly. It was like being in the middle of a snow globe that someone turned upside down.

"Emily?"

"I was just looking outside. This is a beautiful spot."

"It is beautiful."

"We should have done this a long time ago." She said squeezing his hand.

"Yeah… Why didn't we?" He asked looking confused.

"We were too busy pretending we didn't love each other."

"Why?" He asked, looking even more perplexed.

"Because we…" She trailed off; the power of his eyes was turning her brain into mush. "I can't remember."

Their server brought their meal. The spell was broken and they both sat back to survey the plates in front of them. "Looks good," Emily, said.

"Yeah…"

"So do you think Aaron's okay." Emily asked as Reid cut into his meat.

"He's fine Emily… If he wasn't Helga would have called us."

"I know, I just -"

Reid reached over for her hand. "He's fine. We'll go home tomorrow and find him well and happy with Helga. She's the best."

"You're right of course; we'll just enjoy the evening." She took a bite of her crab cake and sighed. "This is the best crab cake I've ever had."

"This is pretty good too."

Emily began perusing the dessert menu several minutes later. "You're not even done with your entrée and you're looking at the dessert menu." Reid squeaked.

"That the best part." Emily said. "I'm going to have Tiramisu."

"What's that?" He asked blandly as he tasted the pumpkin.

She stared at him. "Are you serious? You're the big coffee lover and you've never had Tiramisu?"

"No… What's so great about it?"

"Look at the menu."

He read the description of the dessert and his eyes got huge.

"I told you!"

"I think I'll have some too." He said, trying to sound nonchalant.

"You're so cute when you're trying to act like something's no big deal."

"Emily!" He squeaked.

"You're cute when you squeak too."

He went crimson. "Do you have to do that?" He hissed.

"Yes… Hurry up and finish and I'll have even more surprises for you upstairs."


	36. Chapter 36

_**Disclaimer: see my profile**_

The door to their suite slammed open and rebounded off the doorstop. Spencer nearly fell into the room as Emily ravaged his neck with her tongue. He tried to kick off a shoe and shut the door at the same time. Emily's hands were pulling his dress shirt out of the dark blue dress pants he wore.

"Emily…" He panted, but she wasn't listening to him.

Her hands roamed over his chest, her fingers trying to undo the buttons of his shirt. "Emily…"

He pulled back reluctantly, trying to gasp for breath. She looked like he felt, extremely turned on.

"What Spencer?" She pouted as he danced out of her reach and pulled off a shoe.

"There's a huge claw foot bath tub. I want to check it out and see if it's big enough for two."

Her eyes gleamed, "I'll race you." She ducked left around him, entered the bathroom and slammed the door.

"That's not funny Emily!"

"Don't get excited Spencer. I'll let you in as soon as the bath is ready."

Don't get excited! Well that was a little too late. She shouldn't have started groping him under the table while they waited for dessert. Speaking of dessert… That was the best thing he had tasted in a long time. Who knew you could have coffee and chocolate like that in one yummy dessert. He sighed and licked his lips.

"Stop day dreaming about the dessert and take off your clothes." Emily yelled out to him just before the water turned on.

_How did she always know what he was thinking?_

He sat down on the bed and pulled off his socks. The room's décor distracted him for a minute. It was classic eighteenth century. The mahogany bed had a white linen canopy and matching white lace bedspread. There was a small stand with a porcelain basin and pitcher for decoration, and a huge dresser of mahogany in the opposite corner that hid the modern television. The floors were polished hardwood with throw rug strewn over it. He got up to pull his robe out of his bag when there was a knock at the door.

"Room service…" A voice said.

He frowned at the young man. They hadn't ordered anything. He opened the door and found a young man with light brown hair and green eyes standing there with a trolley. "Compliments of the management," he said before Reid could protest. He left the trolley there and smirked at Reid before shutting the door.

The tray on top had a selection of strawberries dipped in white and dark chocolate. There was a bottle of champagne chilling in a bucket of ice and two beautiful crystal glasses to one side. It looked delicious.

"Hey Spencer… Did you forget about me?" Emily called flirtatiously from the bathroom.

No! He hadn't forgotten about her. That would be impossible. "Coming…" He yelled.

He left his clothes on the floor in an untidy pile and pulled on his robe. He knocked lightly on the closed door and opened it.

"You don't have to knock Spence." Emily purred from the large claw foot bathtub that was full to the brim with fragrant suds.

He swallowed hard and shut the door. "I don't think it's fair." He squeaked when she smiled and gestured with one soapy hand for him to join her.

"Why?"

She'd removed her make up and her hair was up in a clip, but she was still beautiful enough to make his heart hurt.

"Because you're all hidden under all that foam and I have to get naked and climb in there, it's not fair." He repeated.

"You'll have to be faster next time."

"Not funny Em…"

"Stop stalling! I've seen you naked. Why are you worried? You've got a fantastic body."

He went crimson, but dropped his robe because he wanted desperately to be in that warm water with her. She grinned up at him. "See, nothing to be worried about."

He climbed in carefully and went into her arms. "The management sent up strawberries and champagne." He said.

"Wonderful, now shut up and kiss me Spence!"

-----

"You're amazing!" He said picking up one of the strawberries from the tray. "That was the best bubble bath I ever had."

"That's high praise from a man that loves a good bath." Emily said around her white chocolate covered strawberry."

"Funny!"

Emily sighed, took a drink from her glass of champagne, and studied her lover. His hair was damp from the 'games' in the tub and his face was still pink from the heat. He wore a matching white robe to hers and a satisfied expression.

"What are you staring at?" He asked, taking another strawberry from the pile.

"I was thinking that it's nice to have you all to myself. I mean, I love our life, but I love you so much and I've waited for a long time to have you without the distraction of work or the baby."

"Me too," he agreed. "I've wanted this for a long time."

"Then I think we should make the most of it." She picked up another berry and pressed it to his mouth.

He bit into the chocolate as her free hand began to untie his robe. "Emily…" He choked, gasped and went crimson at her touch.

"What?"

"We j-just… Um well, we should -"

She stopped his protestations by kissing him. "Let's test out your stamina baby."

"Um, okay…"

He grabbed her and rolled her under him. She squealed with laughter as he began to tickle her along her left side right under her ribs.

"S-stop it!"

"I don't think so… You started it."

He tickled her until she was screaming with laughter and pushing hard on his shoulders with both hands. "S-stop it S-spencer. I c-can't b-breathe."

He let go of her and she flipped him over on his back knocking the tray of strawberries to the floor. "Damn," she swore. "Those were good berries."

"Emily," He gasped trying to push her away.

"Nope, you messed with me Spencer and now you're going to pay!"

"Okay but be gentle," he laughed.

"Oh… I'll get you for that." She leaned in and kissed him.

"I can take it." He said confidently when she let him breathe.

"We'll see!"

----

The snow had stopped half an hour past two am. Emily lay with her head on his chest looking out at the moon that had come out from behind the clouds. His hands were softly stroking her back.

"We should get some sleep," she said lazily.

"I don't want to."

"Why?"

"Because I just want to stay here like this for as long as I can. I don't want to sleep and miss out on the rest of this night."

"You can be a really sloppy romantic when you want to." She looked up at him and smiled in the moonlight.

"I'm serious Emily."

"I know you are. I happen to feel the same way, but I'm tired. You wore me out baby. I think I'm going to have to sleep at some point whether I want to or not."

"Then go to sleep. I'll just keep looking at your beautiful face."

"Can't sleep if you're staring at me," She yawned.

"Sure you can," His long fingers massaged her neck. "Close your eyes Emily. I'll be here in the morning."

"Better be," She murmured.

"Always," he watched the moon and her face for another hour before sleep pulled him under its gentle hand. There wouldn't be any nightmares this night.

---

"Are you sure we have to go home?" Reid said as Emily shut her overnight bag.

"Yes… We have to go back to the real world now."

Reid sighed, and then he smiled. "I do miss Aaron a little bit."

Emily kissed his cheek. "I know, so do I."

"So let's go home and see him."

She followed him out of the room. It had been a nice interlude, but real life had pulled them back once again.

It was nearly four pm when they found their way back into the neighborhood they called home. The snow had begun again and was falling fast. The roads were beginning to clog as the white flakes piled up on the black top.

Reid drove slowly down their street gripping the wheel tightly in his hands. Just another half block and they'd be safe in their driveway.

"Relax Spencer," Emily said as he finally made the turn into their driveway and the car fishtailed slightly at the reduction in speed and the turn of the wheels.

"I'm fine, just glad we're home."

"Me too," She sighed as the door to the garage shut behind them and the light came on.

Spencer left the car and took their bags into the house. Emily headed straight for the kitchen to find Helga with Aaron in his swing.

"Hey baby boy." She smiled at Helga and picked up Aaron who burbled excitedly at her. "I missed you so much."

Aaron was chewing enthusiastically on his ice-cold teething ring and seemed to be happy for the moment. "I love you so much little guy. Were you good for Helga?" she asked as Reid came into the room and made a beeline for her and the baby.

"He vas ze best little man in ze vorld." Helga said proudly. "Ve had a very gut time togezer."

"How are his teeth?"

"He has a new von in ze back."

Reid took him and looked him over only slightly less thoroughly than a crime scene photo. "Can you show daddy your new tooth baby?"

Aaron chewed on his ring and ignored his father.

"Okay… We'll look for it later. It's time for us to play." Emily said taking the baby into the living room and his playpen.

"I'm right behind you." Reid said.

"Thank you Helga." He said when Emily was out of earshot. "I know you were the one to suggest this to the team. We really needed some time away."

"You are velcome my Liebchen. It vas fun for me too."

"Did you have any problems?"

"Oh no, ze tiny Liebchen had a bit of a restless night, but he is okay now."

"Are you sure?"

"It vas fine. He vill be hurting for a little vhile, but he likes ze teezing ring very much. He vill be fine."

"Okay…"

"Now, go and play vhile I am making up ze dinner for you."

----

Emily helped Helga clear up from dinner while Spencer played with Aaron in the living room. They were just putting the last of the dishes in the washer when the lights went out and everything went black.


	37. Chapter 37

_**Disclaimer: see my profile**_

The lights in the living room flickered and went out just as Reid was moving Aaron from the playpen to his arms. The resulting blackness in the room was absolute due to the heavy curtains drawn over the large picture window facing north.

"Emily!" He tried to sound nonchalant, but the darkness sent shivers up his back as though cool air blew across it.

_Don't think about that!_

"_Little four-eyed queer. Did you think she really wanted you?" _

The jeering of boys much bigger than he filled his ears and his body shook. He held on very tight to his son who squirmed uncomfortably in his fathers grasp.

_Stop thinking about them, they can't hurt you now! You're safe in your own house. _

He could feel the rough skin on his bare arms.

_Stop it! _

_However, the cold on his arms and his face wouldn't go away, nor would the voices jeering in his ears telling him terrible things he'd thought he'd buried away deep in his subconscious. _

_The light had been golden in the afternoon while they tied him to the goal post and jeered at him. It was black dark and deserted on the football field when they left, bored of their sport. The sky had been cloudy and bereft of moon and star as he struggled to get free of his bonds. _

_A dog began to bark as the wind picked up and ruffled his hair. His glasses were on the ground, maybe broken. He yanked on his bonds, burning and cutting into his wrists. Someone was crying. Wetness crawled down his face as real panic settled in. The dog came closer growling and barking in anger. Could it sense his fear? _

"Spencer!"

Someone touched his arm and he screamed. Another little voice joined him crying lustily near his ear. He pulled away from the touch and banged his leg against the coffee table. It was then that he realized that there was a light near his feet as the recognizable cry of his son finally penetrated his panic.

"Emily!"

"My God Spencer you're as white as a sheet."

Someone took Aaron from him. He let the baby go without a fight as Emily pulled him over to the couch. "I'm sorry… I don't know what happened." He wheezed as an asthmatic forced to run five miles.

Her arms came around him and held him tight until he stopped shaking like autumn leaves in a high wind. "I'm sorry Emily…. I scared Aaron. I didn't mean to." He wailed.

"It's okay baby… What happened?"

He told the story in a halting and stuttering voice that squeaked badly. "Some father I am." He said bitterly.

She held the light from the flashlight on his hands, watching them shake as he spoke. "Stop beating yourself up Spencer. No one that lived your life would blame you for your reaction."

"I'm sorry!" He repeated.

She put the flashlight on the table and hugged him again. "How about if we bring Aaron in here with Helga and light some candles. We'll spend some time without the television or other stuff. Do you feel like doing some magic tricks for us? It's a great atmosphere for that."

He pulled away and smiled at her. "You don't have to entertain me. I'm okay."

"How about you entertain me?" Emily said.

"Okay, I'm sure we'll find something to do." He said. "I'd really like to see Aaron again if he'll have anything to do with me."

"Ah ja my Liebchen… He vants to see his daddy," Helga said from the darkness.

She held a smaller flashlight in one hand and the baby on the other arm. He was waving his rattle around and jabbering.

Reid held out his arms for the baby who grunted in excitement for his father. Tears pricked Reid's eyes at the happy look on his son's face.

"Hey little guy... I'm sorry if I scared you."

Aaron began to 'sing' as Emily called it. He smiled and yanked on Reid's hair by way of greeting. "He's okay baby." Emily said.

"I vill go call ze power company and see vhat is wrong." Helga said leaving the circle of light.

Emily left the couch and went to the window. She pulled aside the curtain and looked at the blackness outside. "It looks like the whole street is out of power. The streetlights are off too and it's snowing hard.

She came over to the couch. "It's going to get cold in here if they don't get the power on in a few hours."

"We'll be okay."

Emily silently cheered at the strength in his voice. "Yes we will." She agreed. "We need to make some plans just in case."

'Well, the frozen stuff in the freezer should be okay for twelve hours. If we have to, we can use some of those boxes left over from the move. We can pack up the perishables and put them in the garage. It's cold enough out there."

"We should think about getting a generator Spencer."

"I'll look into it as soon as I can."

"We should put Aaron in with us for the night."

"Okay… Why don't you stay here with Aaron and I'll go help Helga." Reid said.

"No, you stay here with Aaron. He's happy to be with you right now."

Reid smiled at her. "You're just trying to make me feel better. Thank you Em."

"You're welcome."

Helga and Emily spent an hour getting out all the candles in the house and rounding up extra blankets. Helga came up with a battery powered electric blanket she'd forgot was in a small cedar chest in her room.

"You must take zis for your bed and ze tiny Liebchen." She tried to hand it too Emily.

"No… You take this for your bed. Aaron will be with Spencer and me. We'll be fine."

"Okay Miss Emily."

---

Reid made his one-year medallion dance across his knuckles in the candlelight. Emily had placed almost all the candles in the house on different surfaces in the room. It was almost as bright as electric light. It made him feel like a bit of a crybaby.

"Hey Aaron… You don't think daddy is too old to be scared of the dark do you?"

Aaron waved his teething ring and smiled up at Reid. He jabbered enthusiastically at his father and Reid laughed. "Okay, I guess that answers my question."

Aaron dropped his teething ring and grabbed at Reid's chin. "You don't mind the lack of light at all do you?" Reid asked.

He shivered hard. "I hope you never have anything bad happen to you. You see daddies can't keep their little men safe all the time. Sometimes bad things happen. My friend Penelope says that everything happens for a reason. A philosopher named Nietzsche said, "That which doesn't not kill me, makes me stronger," he told the baby. "I never used to believe that, but then I met mommy and everything changed. One day you're going to meet someone that's as great as mommy."

Aaron jabbered and stuck his fingers in his mouth. He looked up at Reid in the moonlight. Drool was descending over his chin in copious amounts so Reid looked around for a towel. There didn't seem to be one so he got up and carried the baby into the kitchen. The room had a one battery powered hurricane lamp, so the towel was easy to find. He wiped off Aaron's chin and put the towel over his shoulder.

"Hey Spencer," Emily said softly.

He jumped and Aaron laughed. "Hi," He squeaked.

"Sorry, didn't mean to startle you."

"It's okay. I just came in to get a towel for Aaron. He's been drooling like crazy."

Emily took the baby from him and they joined Helga in the living room. Sophie had come out of hiding and was sitting in the housekeeper's lap.

"Wow, since when did you two become such friends?" Reid wanted to know.

"Ve haf been friends since ze attack."

"Oh, I'm glad." Reid said sitting down next to Emily on the couch.

The wind screamed around the outside of the house. Emily had left the curtains open a little and Reid could see that the snow was coming down heavily."

"Ze Power Company said zat ze power should be back by morning."

"I'm glad I don't have that job." Reid said and shivered.

"Me either," Emily agreed.

They sat mostly in silence for a long time until Helga said, "I vant to zank you for all you haf done for me. Zer aren't many employers zat would be so good to me especially after I am getting hurt."

"Helga… We love you. We need you and so does Aaron. You're so very good to him. We want you to be happy just like our family." Reid said.

"I know… Zer is jus somzing about zis weather zat is making me zink about how blessed I am."

"We are too," Emily said looking at Reid who was nodding. "We have a great little family here."

"Ja!" The housekeeper nodded as she stroked Sophie's head. The cat purred very loudly making Emily laugh while Spencer rolled his eyes.

"Okay Spencer, how about a couple of card tricks before we go to bed."

"Maybe if I can get help from Aaron," He said with a sly smile.

"Don't you think he's too little for card tricks?""No!"

"Okay!' Emily handed the baby to Reid. Aaron was attempting to put his fist in his mouth and didn't care that his father was trying to perform a trick with him.

"Okay Aaron, pick a card for Daddy."

The baby looked up at him and then at the cards as Emily guided his fist forward. He slapped enthusiastically at one card, which Reid shuffled back into the deck.

"Did you see it Emily." Reid said.

"Yeah…"

Reid began turning over cards while Aaron watched with keen interest. Emily opened her mouth as Reid turned over the card, but Aaron beat her to it, reaching out for the three of hearts.

"Wow… He is being such a smart baby." Helga said.

Reid looked dumbfounded. He shuffled the deck and Emily showed Aaron another random card. Reid shuffled for a long time before turning over several cards. Aaron laughed and reached for the seven of spades when Reid turned it over.

"Well, at least we know he's got your brains." Emily said, looking very impressed. "You're so smart Aaron. Mommy and Daddy are so proud of you."

"Yeah…" Reid said still looking as if someone had hit him with a brick.

"It'll be okay baby. We're going to make sure he has great schools and every thing. He won't go through what you did." Emily promised Reid.

"Yeah…" He looked at his son and had to smile at Aaron's smile. It wouldn't be too long before he had to worry, but for now he'd try not to be scared for his son and what another genius Reid might have to live with as a kid.

---

Emily opened her eyes to light filling the bedroom. Something was touching her cheek with a feather soft caress. It was Spencer's fingers. He was smiling at her from under mussed bangs. He was sitting up with Aaron in his arms.

"The electricity is back on." He informed her, "but we're snowed in pretty good. The news said they've closed the schools and that unless you're essential, not to leave the house."

"Well… Emily took the baby and began nursing him. "I guess that means more time together."

"I want to make a snowman." Spencer said excitedly.

"You're such a kid sometimes Spencer." Emily laughed. "I love that about you."

"You have to help me," He informed her.

"Okay, but there will be no throwing of snowballs or you're on your own."

"Party pooper," he said enthusiastically. He climbed out of the bed, heading first to the door and downstairs for coffee.

"Whatever… Leave some coffee for me." She shouted after him.

Aaron finished his breakfast. He smiled up at her and pulled on her hair as she leaned over him. "Let's hurry up and get ready. We get to see Spencer being silly today."

Aaron jabbered happily at the sound of his father's name. "Will you promise mommy that no matter how smart you are, you'll still play once in a while? It'll make Daddy very happy."

Aaron put two fingers in his mouth and drooled. "I'll take that as a yes."


	38. Chapter 38

_**Disclaimer: see my profile**_

A month had passed since the now famous snowstorm that had snowed them in for two days. Winter was in its last death agonies. The sun had come back and Spring fever had taken up residence with everyone in the bureau. Now it appeared to one profiler that the storm clouds had collected inside Quantico.

"I'm not saying we have to turn it over to my mother. I'm just saying that my mother helping us with the wedding isn't such a bad idea Spencer!"

"Oh… Trouble in paradise," Morgan swaggered into the bullpen with a cup of steaming, newly brewed, fragrant coffee in one hand and a file in the other.

"Shut up Morgan!" Emily said, shoving away from her desk.

"What's the matter Prentiss, haven't had your morning coffee yet?'

"I didn't ask for your opinion."

"Okay…" He put the coffee, file on the desk, and held up his hand, "Just trying to help."

"_Well_ don't," she picked up her coffee mug and headed for the stairs. "And don't think we're done mister." She shot over her shoulder at Reid.

The young profiler winced and went bright red.

'What's wrong with the happiest pair of love birds I know?" Morgan turned his attention to Reid.

"She said it's none of_ your _business."

"Come on my man… If there's trouble with Emily, I can help."

Reid sent him a withering stare. "I've heard _that_ before." He dropped a file into his out basket.

"When have I ever steered you wrong?"

"Do I _have_ to answer that?"

"That hurts Reid."

"Don't pretend I hurt your feelings Morgan." Reid slammed a file drawer open and began leafing frantically through old reference files.

"You can trust me kid. I just want to help!"

"Oh… like I _trusted_ you four years ago with my nightmare problem."

"Are you ever gonna forget about that""

"NO!" Reid slammed a file back in the drawer.

"Reid!"

The younger profiler studied his partner, who was grinning at him.

"Okay, but you can't tell Emily."

"Why are you whispering?"

"It's not funny Morgan. Her mother is taking over our wedding. Ever since we set the date after Valentines Day, she's been on the phone at least once a day with Emily about it."

Morgan began to laugh. "I'm sure it's not that bad kid.'

"She wants to have a wedding planner handle all the details!" Reid hissed. "She wants to turn it into this big society event." He made quotation marks with his fingers.

"Well," Morgan rubbed at his head. "Emily's the daughter of two well known diplomats."

"I know that! Does that mean it _has_ to turn into a big deal?"

"I think you're overreacting kid." Morgan came over to Reid's desk and leaned on it. "What's got you more freaked out, Emily's mom offering to help, or the fact that you've managed to forget that Emily's family is a big deal in Washington, and that means you'll be standing up in front of some well-known and powerful people when you say I do?"

His young friend went white. "Don't remind me." He pleaded.

"Look Reid, you and Emily are very busy. You've got this job that never lets up and you've got the kid and a house to take care of," Morgan enumerated on his fingers. "Why don't you and Emily talk to Ambassador Prentiss and just suggest that Emily be the one with the final say on the details. You don't want to get involved with the choosing of the flowers or invitations, do you?"

"But I thought I'm supposed to be helpful and supportive?"

"No… You're supposed to stay out of the way and say, 'yes dear,' when Emily tells you to do something." He chortled at the confused look on Reid's face. "Just think of it as practice for when you're married."

"Emily and I don't have a relationship like that." Reid protested with a squeak. "We communicate; we don't play games or tell each other what to do."

"Sure kid… Just keep telling yourself that. Just remember what I said about women that carry guns."

"Emily's not like that," Reid insisted.

"Like I said, you just keep telling yourself that." Morgan patted him on the shoulder.

----

Emily knocked on JJ's door. She walked in without waiting for an invitation.

"Yes…" JJ was saying as she glared up at the friend. "No… The team will look at the case file and give you a recommendation by the end of the day… Yes… No! I don't think we'll need to come out there, but I'll leave that up to the team. Thank you Detective."

She hung up the phone and pounced. "What's so important you had to barge in here while I'm on the phone?"

"I thought you have an open door policy."

"I do…" She sat back in her chair and crossed her arms.

"It's important JJ."

JJ pushed a hand through her hair. "What can I do for you?"

"It's not about work JJ. My mother's trying to take over my wedding."

A slow smile crept over JJ's face. "Are you sure you're not exaggerating?"

Emily began to pace. "She hired a planner who wants to bring in turtle doves to spell out Spencer's and my names. She also suggested a forty piece orchestra and Swiss bell ringers for God's sake!"

"I like Swiss bell ringers." JJ said.

"JJ, "Emily wailed. "It's _my_ wedding!"

"I'm just teasing you. Have you told you mom how you feel?"

"I started to the other day, but she's been so nice and great about Aaron and Spencer. We actually talk to each other now. I couldn't do it. I don't want to mess that up."

JJ studied her friend, who drank her coffee as though it was going out of style, while pacing around the room like a restless panther.

"I'm not the one to give advice about families." JJ began, choosing her words very carefully. "It seems to me that this renewed relationship with your mom is strong enough for a little disagreement."

"I know…" Emily finally drooped into a chair. "It's pretty funny. I'm supposed to be this hot shot profiler and I can't even find a way to disagree with my mom."

"I'm sorry Emily. I don't mean to push."

"It's not your fault." Emily drained the last of her coffee. "I read people for a living. My mom is a diplomat. I'm sure we can come to some kind of a compromise."

"Good luck!"

"I better get back to my desk."

"Why do you suddenly look like you're headed to the firing squad?"

Emily flushed red and suddenly found the rim of her cup more interesting than JJ's face. "I sort of had an argument with Spencer about my mom."

JJ smirked, "How shocking! You had a fight with Spence!"

"Actually I did all the talking. He just sat there and took it. Like always," Emily sighed.

"Oh…"

Emily snatched up her coffee cup and jumped to her feet. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"Nothing," JJ said rather innocently.

"JJ!"

"I just mean that Spence is like that. I thought you would have realized that by now."

Emily began pacing the room again. "I do! I _hate_ that he never gets mad or loses patience with me."

"So what you're saying is that you have a guy that has tons of patience for all your moods and that bugs you?"

Emily opened her mouth, closed it and sat down. "When you put it like that…"

"I don't know what to tell you. You'll have to figure it out on your own."

"You're right! I need to go apologize."

"Emily…" The profiler turned from the door. "I don't envy your position."

"Thanks JJ, that makes me feel better."

---

"So… Explain to me again why I have to come with you to see your mom." Reid squeaked as the late winter landscape passed them by."

Emily drove the brand new SUV she'd convinced Reid to buy when his ancient Volvo died out permanently. She'd convinced him that a new vehicle was better than the two grand it would cost to fix the car especially since it would probably be a temporary fix. As a result, Reid decided that he didn't want to drive the new vehicle.

"I need you with me for moral support and strength of purpose in case she tries to convince me to accept the Swiss bell ringers or something else over the top."

"Me…" He squeaked. "You want to use me as a shield."

"Yeah!"

He looked back out the window. Emily's childhood home was just coming into sight. She turned into the driveway and waited for the huge wrought iron gates to swing open. Reid studied the driveway as it curved up to the marble estate that was the Prentiss mansion. The grass on either side of the blacktop still looked like winter was holding on for one last hurrah. The snow had melted leaving it golden-brown and smashed flat. A few patches of ice and dirty snow remained to remind all that the calendar said it was still winter for another two weeks. The life-sized manger scene from Christmas had gone back to storage another year. Reid thought it made the grounds seem less magical.

The sunshine shifted from the west to the south as Emily pulled into the circular driveway in front of the huge home. She parked, shut off the engine and turned to Reid. "I didn't mean to make you do something you don't want to do. "

"What do you mean?"

"Coming here," She said. "I sort of just forced you to come."

"It's okay. I like your mom and this house is wonderful. The possibilities for architectural study are boundless. Look at the way those columns meet the second story. It's classic Colonial -"

Emily leaned over and kissed him. It was a long slow and deep kiss that had his toes tingling when she let him come up for air moments later.

"Wow… What's that for?" He said breathlessly when she let him go.

"For being you and for putting up with my attitude this morning," She reminded him.

"It's okay…"

"No it's not. I love you so much. I shouldn't order you around like I did."

"It's okay Emily. You weren't ordering me around. If I didn't want to be here, I wouldn't, you know me better than that. Now, we better go in or Nigel will be out here snooping." He said with a grin.

"Yeah…" She smiled at him. "We mustn't annoy Nigel."


	39. Chapter 39

_**Disclaimer: see my profile**_

Reid followed Emily up the marble steps to her former home. She knocked on the door and smiled at Nigel who opened the door as though he'd been standing right behind it. Waiting.

"Good afternoon Miss Emily, your mother is waiting for you. She asked me to take you through to the library." He greeted Emily with a bow and Reid with stony silence

He glared at Reid as the couple turned to follow him down a hallway to the library. Emily glanced over at her fiancé and grinned at him.

"Miss Elizabeth will be down in a minute." The butler informed them.

He left the room… shutting the door just a little harder than was necessary.

"What did I do?" Reid asked as he looked around at the books covering every wall.

"Remember Christmas, you didn't let him do his job that night. Nigel's all about being the classic stiff-necked butler. It's his whole life."

"So he's going to hold a grudge against me forever?" Reid squeaked.

"Probably," Emily said nonchalantly.

"Great!"

Emily sat on the long leather couch and patted it. "Sit down Spencer. Stop worrying about Nigel. He likes to be in control."

Reid sat just as Elizabeth entered the room. He shot back to his feet. "Um… Hello Elizabeth."

"Sit down Spencer." She echoed her daughter.

He sat as Emily got up and went to hug her mother. "Thanks for seeing us mom. I know you're busy."

"It's okay… I told the Senator I needed to talk to you. She was fine with it and said that it was a good excuse for her to take a couple hours and spend time with her daughter."

"How is Senator Kelly?" Emily asked, going back to the couch.

Elizabeth took a seat on a matching leather easy chair that faced the couch. "She's fine, but you didn't come here to talk about Irene and her daughter."

"We came by… ah we wanted to talk to you about the wedding." Emily began, stammering a bit.

"Did you decide what you wanted to do about the flowers?" The ambassador asked. "Charlene had this great idea to set up a white linen tent for the reception."

"Mom… It's not that we don't appreciate all the trouble you're going to for the wedding." Emily began.

Spencer reached over and took her hand, squeezing it tightly. Emily smiled at him and faced her mother. "Spencer and I have been talking and we… Well we just want to keep things as low key as we can. Mom, I'm used to my role as your daughter, but this is all new for Spencer. I just want him to be comfortable. This is all too much for him and for me."

She waited looking at her mother who studied Reid for so long that he went pink in the cheeks. She looked back at Emily and smiled. "I'm going way overboard, aren't I?"

"Mom… We don't mean to hurt your feelings. We just think -"

"It's okay Emily." Her mother reached over and took Emily's hand. She faced Reid. "I just want to give my little girl the wedding she always dreamed of having when she was a child. Will you forgive me for getting carried away by excitement?"

"We really do appreciate all you do Elizabeth. You've done so much to help with the wedding. Emily and I have been so busy with Aaron and work; we wouldn't have been able to do half of what needed to be done without your help."

"You should be a diplomat Spencer. That was a great diplomatic statement."

"T-thank you!"

"I mean it. I also mean it when I say I'm sorry Emily. I guess I'm still trying to make up for years ago."

"That's over mom."

"It'll never really be over." Elizabeth said as she got up to hug her daughter. "It will get better. I can see in your face it already has gotten a little better."

She turned to Reid and hugged him hard. "Thank you for making my Emily so happy. I'm thrilled you two found each other."

"Thank you." Reid said.

"You're welcome son. I'm very happy for you to be part of the family."

"So mom… Are you okay with my having veto power over the details of the wedding." Emily interjected as they took their seats.

"I take it that you don't want the Swiss bell ringers." Elizabeth said slyly."

"Mom! You did that on purpose."

"No, I just knew you'd say when you'd had enough."

"That's not funny mom."

"I'm sorry dear. I do need an answer on the flowers though." Elizabeth laughed at her daughter's face.

"I just want cherry blossoms. They'll be beautiful."

"I agree. I'll talk to Charlene and try to rein her in."

"Thanks mom. I'll call you tomorrow about everything else."

"So how's my grandson?"

Reid beamed at her. "He's great. He's turning over on his own."

"He's doing more than that," Emily said proudly. "He does the cutest thing…"

Reid listened as his future wife detailed the exploits of Aaron. Her face looked somehow younger and softer than it had in the last weeks. Only someone that really knew her heart would see the muted pain that lived there and would always live there. His heart lifted with the knowledge that their lives were falling into place after so much heartache. The thought that they'd spent so much time pretending that they didn't care for each other made him smile.

"Why are you looking so pleased with yourself?" Emily squeezed his knee.

"I was just thinking that we wasted a lot of time dancing around each other because of work."

"Yeah… but that's over now and now we get the fun of a wedding."

Elizabeth smirked at them. "You two are so cute."

Reid went red. "Sorry!"

"Don't be sorry Spencer. You're supposed to forget people are around and say embarrassing things in public when you're engaged."

"Mom!"

"It's true Emily. Your father and I were incorrigible when we were engaged. I think we annoyed everyone in a ten mile radius."

"Mother!"

Elizabeth laughed, "Sorry honey… I didn't mean to embarrass you."

"Can we talk about the wedding?" Emily said desperately.

"Of course… Why don't we leave Spencer here with all these books? I'm sure he'll love it."

"You don't have to run away."

"Your half-hearted protests don't fool me young man."

Emily grinned at him. "I promise I won't agree to anything really wild."

"I know… I just think that -"

"It's better for the girls to argue over the details." Emily said.

"Yeah…" His cheeks were the adorable shade of pink she loved so much.

"Okay… We'll be back in a little while."

-----

"Did you enjoy the library?" Emily asked as they drove away from the estate.

"Yeah… Did you know that your dad has a great library of first editions? I've never seen so many in a private collection."

"He likes books as much as you do, except he can't read as fast as you do."

Reid went red and smiled shyly at her. "I'm glad I came with you."

"Well good because there's one detail we haven't discussed. Who are you going to ask to be your best man?"

"Um… I was thinking that I'd ask Morgan."

"Are you sure you want to ask him?" She asked after making a left hand turn.

"Yeah… He teases me all the time, but he's always there for me too. I guess he's like an older brother."

"Okay, if that's what you want. I think it's great."

Reid put a hand on top of one of her hands that steered the truck. "I love you Emily."

"We're getting married. You better love me."

"Hey, did you know that up until the last one hundred years or so most people married for convenience and security, not purely for love. That was especially true for royalty and the rich. Young women were promised in marriage to men that the families thought were suitable for them. They wanted them to be taken care of and leaving it to chance or love wasn't acceptable."

"Then I'm glad you and I live in this time." Emily smirked at him.

"Did you choose a maid of honor?" Reid changed the subject.

"Yeah… I asked JJ. Garcia is going to be a bridesmaid. It was a tough decision, but I thought since Garcia is Aaron's godmother, she could kind of take charge of him for us. JJ will be busy with all the duties of a maid-of-honor and you and I will be getting married, so I think Garcia's the best one to look after Aaron for us."

"What about Helga?" Reid wondered.

"I have another job in mind for her."

"What kind of job?"

"I'm going to ask her today. It'll be a surprise for you."

Reid stroked the back of her hand with one of his long fingers. "Come on Emily. Please just tell me."

She glanced over at him. "Using your puppy dog eyes won't get you anywhere Spencer."

"Please!"

"No… I'm immune to your charms." She insisted while making another right hand turn.

"Emily!"

"Spencer Reid… I told you it was a surprise. You can wait to find out."

"Okay," He gave up.

"Don't pout darling. It's not attractive."

"Fine… I'll just go play with Aaron when we get home."

"Like you need an excuse for that," Emily observed.

"Just keep your eyes on the road." Spencer retorted. "I'm going to use my profiler skills and guess what you have planned."

Emily finally turned into their driveway. She parked the SUV in the garage and turned to Spencer. "How about you go play with Aaron and I'll help Helga in the kitchen." She said sweetly.

"I'll find out." He declared.

"No you won't," Emily insisted. "Just be patient.

She kissed him till his head felt like it would float off his shoulders. "See you in the house." She said after letting him have his lips back. "Aaron's waiting for you."


	40. Chapter 40

_**Disclaimer: see my profile**_

Emily's family estate had changed again, she noticed, as they drove up the long winding driveway to the marble mansion. The grass was still golden, but the warmth of spring was working the same miracles it had every year, assisted by the army of gardeners her father had hired.

She parked the truck in front of the house next to several of her friends' vehicles. She shut off the engine and took a minute to look at her ancestral home. It seemed to sparkle and shimmer in the morning sunshine, as it never had when she had been younger. _Did making up with your parents change the perspective on your family home?_ She wondered as she looked at the marble walls and the slate roof.

"You okay?" Reid touched her arm.

He smiled at her when she looked over at him. He wore a cranberry dress shirt with short sleeves. His tie was dark blue with a couple of gold stripes running diagonally across it. His pants were navy blue and he wore his navy blue Converse over one white sock and one cranberry colored sock. He had combed his wavy hair off his face, except for one unruly curl over his left eye. That little lock of hair made her heart beat very fast.

"I'm fine. I was just thinking." She admitted a bit breathlessly.

"You haf a beautiful home," Helga said from the backseat just as Nigel appeared from nowhere next to the car.

Reid jumped at the site of the Prentiss' majordomo. Nigel opened the door for Emily and helped her get out of the SUV. Reid got out of the other side and smiled at her over Nigel's head. The butler ignored him so Reid went back and extricated Aaron from the back seat next to Helga. Nigel opened the passenger side door behind Emily and stared at Helga. The German housekeeper climbed out of the car and smiled at the butler.

"Helga… This is Nigel. Nigel, this is our housekeeper Helga." Reid introduced them.

"Quite," the man said narrowing his eyes at her.

"Have all the others arrived?" Emily asked into the silence as Helga turned back to get Aaron's diaper bag from the car.

"All but Mr. Hotchner and Mr. Rossi," The butler informed her.

"They should be here soon. Thank you Nigel." Emily said as the butler opened the front door.

"They await you on the portico."

Reid wiggled his eyebrows at Emily as they followed the butler down the hall to the north end of the house. Nigel bowed again at Emily and disappeared as they headed for the sliding glass doors that separated the large home from the patio.

It was a huge space with a stone floor that was the same dark grey as the marble walls. There was a very large table covered with a white tablecloth. It fluttered in breeze, held in place by china and crystal table settings. The breeze that caressed Reid's face was much then for this time of year. It wasn't actually hot, but they didn't need jackets for the brunch either.

"Hey Prentiss… This is some house you got here." Morgan called from the table that held all their friends and her parents.

"It's not my house Morgan." She shot back.

"Well you don't live here anymore, but it's still a great house."

"Thanks!"

Reid took Aaron from his carrier. The baby was just about six months old on this beautiful April day. He blinked his eyes and peered up at his Daddy. He had fallen asleep on the way over and looked a little stunned at the change of pace.

"Oh… There he is!" Mai rushed up to Reid and relieved him of Aaron. "He's so beautiful!" She exclaimed.

"I think you've got a problem." Morgan said to the man sitting next to him.

Mai's date was tall, broad shouldered and handsome with dark hair and eyes. He smiled nervously at Morgan who grinned at him. "We've only been dating for a few months." Todd Riley protested as he watched his beautiful nurse play with the baby.

"I know when a woman wants a baby. I can see it in their eyes."

"Stop scaring him." Garcia said smacking him upside his head as she passed him with a plate from another table that had been set up as a buffet.

"Hey," Morgan said rubbing his head.

"I don't see you here with a date." She reminded him. "Leave Todd alone and get something to eat."

Todd smiled gratefully at Garcia who winked at him through her sapphire colored glasses. She sat across from him next to Kevin who was watching the whole party and digging into a pile of scrambled eggs.

"There are the boss men," Garcia exclaimed.

Hotch was talking to Reid who looked a bit pink in the cheeks. Mai suddenly handed off the baby to Hotch who smiled broadly to the great surprise of everyone.

Dave slapped him on the back and headed for the coffee and the buffet. Hotch brought the baby over to Emily. He sat down on one side of her while Reid joined Rossi at the coffee pot.

Hotch seemed to feel the stares of everyone in the room. He looked up with trademark scowl in place on his face. Aaron reached out and touched his cheek. He began to burble excitedly at his godfather eliciting another smile from him.

"Who knew that all that was needed to get you to smile in front of this crew was a baby." Rossi said as he passed his friend for the table.

Everyone laughed as Hotch tried to glare, but couldn't and when he laughed everyone went quiet except for Robert. "Aaron Hotchner… Have you convinced these good people that you're a cold hearted bastard when I know better?"

Todd choked on his apple-filled crepe while Morgan smacked him helpfully on the back. "Don't worry; we always talk to the boss man like that."

Hotch turned his stare on Morgan who smiled back. "You don't scare me Hotch."

"We'll see how you feel about that when we get back to work."

Garcia waggled her eyebrows at her friend. "Oh… someone's in trouble now."

Everyone laughed including Hotch and Aaron who jabbered happily around trying to gnaw on Hotch's tie. Reid went red and tried to pull the tie from his son's hands.

"Don't worry about it Reid." Hotch said. "He's fine."

JJ tapped Emily on the shoulder. "I think the world just came to an end. Since when does Hotch not care about his precious ties?"

Emily began to laugh. "Perhaps hell froze over."

The conversations continued around Reid who glanced over to see Robert smiling at him. It was like being in the middle of a whirlwind. It was a bit overwhelming. He'd never been in the middle of such a large family centered gathering. His future father-in-law raised his eyebrows and gave what Reid thought to be a reassuring look. Still, there was something missing from all this. He found himself looking up repeatedly at the doors hoping that his mother would somehow walk through them.

Aaron began fussing in earnest just as Reid was beginning to feel a bit depressed. He took the baby.

"I think he needs to be changed."

"I can do that honey. Eat your toast." Emily said.

"No… It's okay." He needed the escape for a minute.

"Okay… There's a bathroom inside and down the hall."

"I'll be back in a few minutes."

-----

Reid carried Aaron and the diaper bag out of the bathroom after giving the baby a clean diaper. He passed by the library, not paying attention to the voices in the room until he heard. "… That doctor Reid is too cute. I think Miss Emily is very lucky."

"You're telling me…"

Reid stopped in surprise next to the half-open doorway. He could feel his face going red, as the two women continued to discuss him like he was a piece of meat. He shouldn't listen, but he couldn't help himself.

"I've never seen an FBI agent that looked that hot on television." One voice said.

"Ladies…" A new voice said. It was Nigel and he sounded like he was right on the other side of the door.

Reid took a step back as though backing away from a un-sub with a gun.

"We don't gossip about the Ambassador's guests." Nigel was saying.

"Don't get high and mighty with us." One of the female voices said. "We heard you talking to the gardener the other day. You said you don't think Dr. Reid is good enough for Miss Emily. You said she should be marrying someone better suited to her position."

"Get about your chores." Nigel hissed at them. "If Miss Emily wishes to marry an FBI agent and bring a servant to the wedding brunch as though she's family, it's no concern of yours," Reid flinched at the reference to Helga.

Suddenly the door opened and Nigel stood there. "May I help you Dr Reid?"

Aaron reached out a hand with his plastic interconnecting blocks and waved it excitedly at the butler who ignored him. The baby looked up at his father and began to burble. Reid stroked his head and hushed him.

"I was just going back to the party."

"Very good sir," the butler sniffed and turned away.

"Nigel," Reid said.

The man stopped and turned back with a careful look in his eyes.

"I don't care what you think of me or my station in life. Emily loves our son and me. That's all I need, but if I hear another word against Helga, I will go to Elizabeth and Robert. If Emily and I choose to treat Helga as a member of our family, it's no concern of yours. You will not treat her as anything but our friend and family member."

"My apologies Dr Reid," his lips said it but his eyes told a different story as he turned once more to leave.

"Nigel…" Reid and the butler froze at the sound of Elizabeth Prentiss speaking to them.

The butler went ramrod straight as the matriarch of the family approached him. "Dr. Reid is too lenient with you."

"Miss Elizabeth I was merely telling the maids -"

"Stop… I heard what you said to Spencer. He's right… Helga is a guest in our home. You will treat her as such. Spencer is my daughter's choice of husband and father to her child. You will respect her decision and treat him as what he is, a member of this family. Is that clear? I will not have this house or my daughter upset three days before her wedding."

"Yes Ma'am," He bowed stiffly. "I apologize for my unprofessional behavior Dr. Reid."

Aaron began to fuss and cry. Reid cuddled him close and spoke to Nigel. "Thank you Nigel." He said.

The butler bowed to both of them and left with a very stiff back.

"I'm sorry Spencer… I was coming in to see if you were alright."

They walked back to the entrance to the portico with a wailing Aaron. Reid rocked him and smiled at his future mother-in-law. "It's okay Elizabeth."

"No it's not… I should have put a stop to his attitude months ago. He's reacting to what the Prentiss family has always done. Things have changed with us and I think it's for the better. He'll have to adjust."

"Thanks for standing up for me and Helga."

"I was wrong about her too. At first, I thought Emily should live here during her pregnancy. I didn't like Helga because I wanted, even then, to fix things with her. Helga was an obstacle to what I wanted to accomplish. I feel bad about that."

Aaron was calming under the rocking motion of his father as Reid swayed back and forth. The two adults stood talking and looking at the party. It was so good to see everyone so happy.

"You shouldn't feel bad…" Reid protested. "Helga knows how you feel. She loved the handmade robe you sent her when she was recovering from her attack. She says it's the most luxurious thing she owns."

"I'm glad. I'm also very happy she's here today."

"Me too…"

"Well, I guess we better get back to the party."

"Okay…"

"Spencer, "she put a hand on his shoulder. "I'm so pleased she chose you." She reached out with another hand and gently cupped Aaron's face.

The baby cooed at her and reached out his arms. Spencer let Elizabeth take the baby, smiling at the joy that filled her eyes.

"Oh little man… I love you so much."

"He loves you too. I'm glad he got to see you;" Reid said.

"He's so beautiful. I need to make more time -"

Her face suddenly twisted. "Oh my God," she said through gritted teeth."

"Elizabeth! What's wrong?"

The baby was slipping out of her grasp as her face went white. He grabbed the baby just before Elizabeth dropped him.

"Elizabeth!"

She pressed her hand to her right side. Pain filled her eyes and she swayed a bit on her feet.

"What's wrong?"

"I don't know... My side hurts."

"Um… Okay… I'll get help." Reid shifted Aaron to one arm as the baby began to scream. "Don't worry Elizabeth, it'll be okay."


	41. Chapter 41

_**Disclaimer: see my profile**_

The large pre-op room divided with light blue floor to ceiling curtains, had two other occupants besides his wife, Robert noticed as he strode in to see nurses preparing Elizabeth for an emergency appendectomy.

"She's pretty groggy." The nurse warned him. "She was in significant pain. She's had some heavy painkillers.

"Hey Liz…" He said, taking her hand. "Everyone's outside so hurry up and come back to us."

"Bobby…" She slurred. "I love you."

"I know sweetheart. We've had some bad times, but we're doing better aren't we."

He brushed her hair back from her face. His fingers felt the heat of the fever on her head from her bad appendix.

"I'm sorry for all the bad years." She said faintly.

"Don't…." He shushed her. "You're going to be fine. I want to go to Hawaii when you are better. We can stay in one of those thatched huts we stayed in when we got married."

"Kay…"

"She's going up right now," The nurse said, putting down the phone on the work area behind Elizabeth's head. "You can go up to the entrance to the operating room if you like."

"Thank you," He held onto her hand as orderlies moved the gurney through the large double doors to the elevators.

They arrived three floors up and moved down the hall to another set of large double doors. "I'll be waiting for you when you're done." Robert said. He kissed her forehead and she squeezed his hand. "I love you Liz."

They took her in through the double doors. He stood there for long minutes looking at the doors. It was suddenly very difficult to think straight. Tears collected in the corners of his eyes. They felt alien to his face as they fell one by one down his cheeks. When had he last cried?

Everything had changed in the last two years. He'd come home permanently. She was home in Washington. They had a happy and beautiful little grandson. Emily had met an exceptional young man that loved her very much. Her happiness meant more to him than his life. The last years had brought about a change in his marriage that he wanted to see grow. Now it could all go so wrong.

The doctor said that appendectomies were routine, but there could be complications like any surgery. He said that Elizabeth could go home that evening if all went well. It had to go well. There could be no other choice.

"Can I help you sir?" A nurse wearing scrubs and a cap over her head like the one he'd seen the nurse wearing that was going into surgery with his wife, asked.

"Um… Yes, I came up here with my wife. I guess I need to find the waiting room."

"Of course… Just go through those doors." She pointed to her left. "Follow the green line and it will take you back to the waiting room. Check in with the attendant near the door. They'll let you know when the doctors need to speak to you."

"Thank you," he strode off in the direction she'd indicated.

The family should be waiting. He needed to see his daughter now and find strength in her.

The waiting room was empty but for three other people when Reid and Emily entered it. An elderly woman with a walker and a large handbag by her side sat at the back of the room. She looked at the glass window that surrounded the room and didn't seem to realize anyone else was in the room.

Near the door sat a young woman with her long blond hair in a ponytail. She wore a dark blue polo shirt and grey slacks. She had a computer at her station and a clipboard.

"We're here for Elizabeth Prentiss." Reid told her as Emily headed for a couch in the middle of the room.

"May I have your name?"

"Spencer Reid."

"Thank you." She added it to the clipboard. "She's just gone up to surgery. I'll call your name when the doctors come in."

"Thank you."

Reid passed the third person in the room, a very young man that couldn't be more than eighteen. His black hair stood on end as though he'd run his hands through it repeatedly. He was looking at his shoes when Reid walked by. His arms lay crossed tightly over his chest. He looked to be sleeping very fitfully as his body jerked and twitched as though he were touched with electric current.

Emily sat looking up at him with an expression that tore at his heart. "I know this is a stupid question," he said as he sat and put an arm around her shoulders. "But, are you okay?"

"I'm fine… Appendicitis is no big deal these days. I'm sure they do this sort of thing every day."

"Actually St. Mary's Hospital is second only to Georgetown University Hospital in survival rates for surgery patients. Appendicitis cases have an impressive ninety-nine percent survival rate. The chance of infection or another complication is very unlikely, but it can happen. Dr. Heath needs to be sure that he -"

"Spencer… I know you're trying to help." Emily interrupted. "I don't want to hear statistics right now."

"I'm sorry."

"I can't believe this is happening. She was fine a couple of days ago. How would this have happened to her?"

He held her tightly, not knowing what to say. All of the things he could think of were just platitudes he'd said to victims and survivors in his job. Emily had heard all of them.

"I'm sorry," he repeated feeling like a jerk.

"Do you think Aaron's okay." Emily said suddenly. "I better go call Garcia. She's never sat with him before."

She leapt to her feet and left the sitting area for another area divided by the windows around the waiting room and the windows showing the outside of the building.

"Emily…" He jumped up and hurried after her.

Emily fumbled with the zipper of her purse. "Damn it! The zipper's stuck."

"Emily!"

"I just need to call Garcia. This damn zipper won't open." Her voice rose as he wrapped an arm around her shoulders.

"Emily its okay… I'll make the call if you want."

"Leave me alone." She struggled out of his arms and yanked at the zipper on her purse.

Reid pulled her into his arms. She hit him with both fists, letting her purse drop to the ground. "I don't know what to do." She hitched out. "I can't think."

"It's going to be okay."

"You don't know that."

"Okay, I don't know that everything's going to be alright.

He gently pulled her to one of the windows that let golden sunlight into the room. She put her face to his shoulder and sobbed. He waited, while slowly stroking a hand up and down her back.

"I'm sorry," She finally said in a hoarse voice. "I don't know why I'm so upset. It's not as if this is cancer or a heart attack or something bad. I mean, it's nothing, right."

Her dark eyes dared him to say anything but yes to her question.

"It's nothing… Your mother is going to be fine. She'll get to go home very soon."

"You're sweet," Emily said as she finally got her purse open and a Kleenex out to wipe her runny nose. "I guess I'm just so stressed over everything. We're getting married in less than three days Spencer."

"I know, I can't wait," he made her laugh as she sniffed.

"I'm sorry to be so high maintenance," she smiled. "You can still back out if you want."

"I'm not going anywhere."

"That's good to know," A new voice said.

Reid turned red. "I didn't see you Robert."

The big man looked smaller to Reid, as though the events of the day had deflated him. His smile didn't touch his eyes. "Emily," he said holding out his arms to her.

She hurried to her father and hugged him. "She's going to be alright."

"Yes she is," he said as he stroked her hair. "She's going to be fine and you're going to get married."

"Daddy… How was she when they took her up?"

"She did just fine. She was pretty groggy, but still so beautiful like the first time I saw her."

"I wish -"

Robert put a finger over her lips. "Me too," he agreed, his booming voice toned down to a quiet whisper. "The past is past. We go forward and make a new family with my grandson and my new son." Robert held out an arm to Reid. They stood together in a circle, holding on to each other some of the trembling stopped in Emily's hands.

"I need to sit down." She said.

"I'm going to call Garcia and make sure Aaron is okay." Reid said, removing his cell phone from his pocket.

"Spencer you don't have to leave."

"You'll feel better if I do." He kissed her and left the waiting area.

"That's a good man you've got there."

"Yeah, I sort of stopped counting the ways that he's remarkable."

"Yet you don't feel worthy of him."

"Dad… I'm supposed to be the profiler." She wiped at her eyes with the Kleenex.

"I'm your father. I know I haven't earned the right to say this, but I know you and I know how you feel inside right now. Thank you for giving me a chance to say that and mean it."

Emily hugged her dad. "You don't have to ask for my forgiveness. We've been through this. I messed up and so did you and mom. It's over now."

"So back to my new son-in-law and your insecurities," Robert said.

"He's not your son-in-law for another couple of days."

"Emily!"

"Okay… I'm fine." She could see he didn't believe it. "I guess all of this just sort of reminded me how everything can be lost in a minute."

"We haven't lost your mother."

"No we haven't, but I just got to thinking about all the obstacles Spencer and I have had. Sometimes I wonder if Fate will rip it all away."

"No my beauty… You're going to be married and happy. You have a beautiful little boy and wonderful man. Be happy."

"Okay Daddy. I did make up my mind about something. I don't think Spencer's going to like it."

"What won't I like?"

Spencer stood in front of her with is phone in his hand. "Aaron's alright. Garcia seems to be having the time of her life with him."

"Thank you for checking Spencer. I'm sorry I lost it."

"Stop apologizing… You're entitled to a meltdown right now. What were you saying about my not liking something?"

"Oh… Well, I decided that we should postpone the wedding."


	42. Chapter 42

_**Disclaimer: see my profile**_

"You want to postpone the wedding!" Reid squeaked.

"Yes! I can't go on as if _nothing_ is wrong. My mother's having _surgery_ for heaven's sake."

"You can't put your life on hold because your mother's sick, my daughter."

"How can you say that? She needs me."

Robert took hold of both his daughter's hands. "I say it because it's what your mother would want."

"You don't know that daddy."

"I know she very much wants you to be happy."

"I just can't get married right now." Emily pulled her hands free and turned to Reid. "You understand, don't you?"

"_No_ I don't… Your mother is having a relatively simple outpatient procedure. She'll be able to go home today if there are no complications."

"Spencer!"

The little blond woman at the check-in desk approached them. "I need to ask you to please keep your voices down or I'll have to call security."

All three of them looked around the waiting room, which had three more people waiting for word on loved ones. Everyone in the room looked at them with varying degrees of irritation.

"I'm sorry miss." Robert said.

"I'm going to get some air." Emily said.

She stalked away to the elevators. Reid started to go after her. Robert grabbed his arm. "Let her go son. She'll be back."

"I messed it up." Reid said miserably.

"No son… You were honest about your feelings. Don't apologize for that, _ever_."

"I made things worse."

Robert led Reid to an unoccupied corner away from the other waiting families. "I disagree with you young man."

"But -"

"My daughter is a very sensible person. She'll cool off. When Elizabeth is out of surgery, Emily will change her mind."

"Y-you don't think I'm b-being s-selfish and unreasonable."

"I would if I didn't think everything will be fine."

Reid tried to smile at the confidence in his future father-in-law's voice, but found his face wouldn't cooperate with him.

"Come on… Let's go find some coffee. I think there's a pot over there." Robert pointed to the table across the room. Reid saw the same dark haired young man pouring out a cup for himself.

"It's probably horrible hospital coffee, but it'll give us a chance to move around for a minute." Robert tugged on the young doctor's arm."

----

Emily stepped off the elevator and stood looking at her dad and her fiancé. They were in deep conversation that would have made her smile if not for the knots in her stomach.

Then, as it he sensed her looking at him, Reid looked up at her. He didn't smile. The worry and sadness she thought banished forever, darkened his eyes.

She tried to smile, but it felt like a grimace. They looked at each other over the heads of two women who held onto each other and wept. Emily stepped forward to end the staring contest at the same time the young blond woman with the ponytail called out her father's name name.

She hadn't noticed the surgeon was there until the girl called for them. The doctor wore green scrubs and a smile. He stood about five inches taller than Spencer. His build mirrored her father. His blond hair and green eyes gave him an open and friendly look. He led them to a small consulting room off the waiting room and shut the door.

"I'm Dr. Heath… Mrs. Prentiss came through her surgery beautifully. It's a good thing she came in when she did as her appendix was very close to bursting."

"So, she's going to be okay." Robert asked.

"Oh yes… She'll be fine. She'll be in recovery for an hour and then you can see her. She'll be able to go home in a few hours."

Reid looked over at Emily. The color had rushed back into her face. She smiled at him and his stomach quit buzzing as if butterflies had made their home there.

"See honey… I told you she'd be okay." Robert said.

They followed the doctor out of the consultation room and back to the waiting room. "We'll tell you when she's out of recovery." Dr Heath said. He gave them a smile and left the room.

"Spencer… Emily touched his shoulder. "Can I talk to you for a minute?"

"Okay…"

She led him back out of the waiting room to the empty hallway. "I wanted to apologize for getting so upset with you. I was scared and I took it out on you."

"I accept your apology. I don't accept your logic that we should postpone the wedding."

"Spencer… I can't go on as though nothing has happened."

"I'm not saying you have to go on like nothing happened! I have a suggestion if you're willing to hear it."

"Okay."

"Your mom will be able to go home today, barring unforeseen complications. The chance of a complication keeping her here is very low. In fact eighty three percent of cases where a patient had their appendix removed -"

"Okay Spencer… What do you want to do?'

"I think we should go on with the wedding, but skip the reception. We can have a party when we get back from our honeymoon."

He watched her narrow her eyes and look him over. "You wouldn't be trying to get out of meeting all my parents friends with that idea."

"Um no… I just thought it would be easier for Elizabeth."

"This is one of those times when I'm not sure if you're trying to pull something or not."

"Emily…" He squeaked, feeling his face getting hot.

"Let's sit down. We'll talk about it later."

He went back to the waiting room and sat down with her. She grabbed his hand and held it tight. "I don't know what I would've done without you here."

"You have your dad." He reminded her.

"Yeah… and I love him very much, but it's not the same thing."

His face felt hot again. He smelled the spicy scent of her perfume as she leaned over to kiss him and his face got hotter.

"Thank you for being here."

The hour passed at the speed of a glacier patiently carving out a valley in the mountains. Finally, a nurse told they could head down to Elizabeth's room.

A plump African American woman in cranberry scrubs took Elizabeth's vital signs as they entered the room. "Hi…" She greeted them with a brilliant smile composed of blindingly white teeth. "I'm Darcy," She said with a slight southern accent. "I'll be here till she goes home. She's doing great."

"Hello Liz…"

"Hi Bobby," Elizabeth smiled at her husband.

"Mom… How are you?" Emily made a beeline for her mother."

She hugged her gently over the warming blankets wrapped snugly around her mother.

"You look beat Emily."

"I'm okay mom."

"I can see you're not. I'm fine Emily. Everything went great according to Dr. Heath and the nurses."

"She's right," Darcy agreed as she made her notes. "We'll watch her for another couple of hours, just to make sure she's awake and her oxygen saturation are normal. Then you'll be able to take her home."

"Thank you. You're very kind."

Darcy left the room. Emily sat in the only chair next to her mother's bed. "Are you in pain mom?'

"No dear… I'm fine. I just want to get out of here to my own bed."

"Don't worry mom. We're going to make sure you get all the rest you need in the next few days."

"You can't spend your time hovering Emily. Did you forget you're getting married?"

"She's decided to postpone it." Robert spoke up.

"Daddy!'

Elizabeth looked at Reid. He went pink and looked at the floor.

"I take it you made this decision on your own." Elizabeth addressed her daughter.

"Mom… I'm not getting married two days after you've had major surgery."

"It's hardly major surgery. They do this all the time. I'm going to the wedding."

"Mom!'

"I'm an adult! I can make up my own mind." She turned to look at Reid. "Spencer… Talk to her, she'll listen to you."

"Don't put him in the middle of this," Robert said.

"Daddy!'

"Your father's right," Elizabeth shifted on her bed. "Ouch…" She reached up and rubbed at her neck.

"That's enough…" Robert snapped. "Are you alright my dear?"

She nodded. "I'm just a little uncomfortable. The pillow is slipping around."

"Let me help you."

He lifted her head gently and readjusted her pillow. He helped her slide into a different position and rearranged her blankets.

"Now," he said, "The wedding will go as planned if," He held up a hand against Emily, "_If _she stays in bed for the next two days. That means no helping with the wedding, no work, no charity functions." He instructed his wife. "We'll get Nigel and the staff to take your place in helping Spencer and Emily."

"Robert!'

"No arguing," He insisted.

"Okay… I'll stay in bed."

"Mom!'

"Your father's right. I promise to stay off my feet and in bed for the next two days. We'll get a wheelchair so I can off my feet at the wedding and the reception."

"You'll skip the reception." Emily ordered.

"No… I'm going to have one dance with my son-in-law."

All eyes turned to Reid. He flinched at the pleading desperation in Emily's eyes and the victory in her parents faces.

"Um… I don't think you should be dancing. I'm not a good dancer anyway." He blurted out.

"It's not negotiable. I promise to go right to bed afterward."

"Fine mom…" Emily threw up her hands. "I give up. You can do what you want. Now I know how you got to be an Ambassador. "

Emily grinned at her daughter. "Now you understand."

"You don't have to sound so smug."

"I love you Emily. I want to be there. I'll be okay, I promise."

"Who can say no to that?" Robert teased.

---

Emily poked her head into the nursery. Reid sat with Aaron in his arms in her glider rocker. "How is he?'

"He's almost out." Reid said quietly.

She stood watching Reid rock with the baby till her little man fell asleep. Reid took the baby to the crib and settled him in for the night. Her eyes pricked with tears at his gentleness with their son.

"Hey…" Reid led her out the door and to their room. "Why are you crying?"

"You're so great with him all the time. I'm so happy you're here and loving us."

"There's no other place for me to be."

He preceded her into the room. A single light on the bedside table illuminated the room with a soft golden glow. Then he was kissing her.

"Spencer…" She said breathlessly when he released her lips.

"Shh…"

"I'm sorry for today."

"I know…" He captured her lips with his once more.

Their mouths moved together in well-practiced moves. His mouth tasted like his favorite mint toothpaste. She shivered and pulled back for breath.

"Spencer…"

"Don't," He held her close. "Let me love you."

"How can you be so good to me after today?"

"Don't spoil it. We'll talk about it later."

He led her to the bed. Their clothes hit the floor and sheets rustled as they fell on the bed. Reid shut off the light and let the darkness bless their joining.


	43. Chapter 43

_**Disclaimer: see my profile**_

"This doesn't feel right." Garcia complained as she piloted Esther down a tree-lined avenue.

"Since when has Reid done anything normal?" JJ said from the front passenger seat.

"Yeah… I mean look at how those two got together. They've done everything backwards and unconventional." Mai added from the back seat.

"But, to not have a bachelor and bachlorette party, it's not right," Garcia insisted as she made a right hand turn on to Silver Oak Avenue.

The white, gleaming church stood on the corner four blocks down the street. Tall oak trees stood along both sides of the Avenue interspersed with white and pink cherry trees in full bloom. A breeze blew through the trees as they traveled the street wafting the perfume of the blossoms into the car. Spring had come to DC on perfumed winds and gossamer wings.

Garcia turned the car into the parking lot of the church and parked and Mai said. "Who cares about tradition as long as they're happy? Isn't the church beautiful?" She sighed.

"Do I hear a note of longing in your voice?" Garcia laughed.

Mai went pink in the cheeks. "We've only been dating a few months," She protested while helping the women unload the trunk of the car.

"When it's true love, time doesn't matter."

"If that's true," Mai said, hefting a plastic bag full of cosmetics into her arms. "Why haven't either of you tied the knot?"

JJ and Garcia blushed to the roots of their hair.

"That's what I thought!" Mai said.

"No one likes a smart ass, especially a little smart ass." JJ said, opening the door to the entryway of the church.

"Todd likes that I'm little." Mai said primly. "It makes for interesting shower games."

"Ew… We're in a church Mai," Garcia hissed at her friend.

They passed through into the chapel where Reverend Eagan waited for them in his clerical collar and dark suit. He was young, with dark hair and eyes that crinkled up when he laughed.

"Reverend Eagan," Garcia held out a hand encased in a white lace glove to him."

"Hello Penelope. How are you?"

"I'm great… Ready to rock this wedding?"

He laughed, "Presiding over a wedding is my favorite part of the job. And, how are you two," he turned to JJ and Mai.

"Enjoying the beauty of the spring day and this church. It's beautiful."

"I love it here. It's old but simple in its beauty."

The church was two hundred years old with a steep inverted 'v' shaped roof. It was hushed and cool. Wooden pews stretched up to the podium. Stained glass windows depicting scenes from the New Testament marched along both sides of the room at twelve-foot intervals. The aisle had a red carpet added to it that ran to the alter.

Someone had placed white and pink cherry blossoms in two large crystal vases near the alter. The arms of the pews had more cherry blossoms with white and pink ribbons hanging at spaced intervals along the aisles.

"It's a beautiful job." Garcia breathed.

"Mrs. Prentiss hired the wedding planner. I just stay out of the way." The Reverend smiled. "After my own wedding, I learned to steer clear of the mother of the bride, the wedding planner and the bride."

"Smart man," Garcia joked as he led them to the bride's room off to the right of the chapel.

"Hey, I may be a man of the cloth, but I'm not stupid. I'll make sure Emily finds her way in."

"Thanks!"

The girls entered the room and Garcia shut the door. She rubbed her hands together. "Let's get set up."

-----

Emily looked anxiously at her hair. Garcia had twisted the back into a French knot at the back of her head. Her bangs were curled under as always. Mai had done her makeup. The tiny nurse had somehow managed to make her look like some beautiful unearthly creature that Emily didn't recognize.

"Stop fidgeting." JJ ordered. "It's time for you to get dressed."

"When did you get so bossy?" Emily laughed nervously.

"When you started freaking out."

"JJ's right," Elizabeth said from her seat on the chaise lounge in the corner of the room.

Next to her on a low table lay Emily's simple bouquet of white lilies and Aaron's carrier. He lay sleeping peacefully while all the women in the room cast him adoring looks whenever they had a free moment.

"You look beautiful!"

Emily tried to smile at her mother, but her face felt frozen. "Where's Garcia?"

"You sent her to Reid five minutes ago." JJ reminded her."

"Oh right…"

"If you worry yourself into nervous collapse," JJ said as she removed Emily's wedding dress from it's garment bag, "Reid will freak out and get that kicked puppy look in his eyes. I can't stand it when he looks like that."

Mai and Elizabeth nodded in agreement. "Yeah… It's not a pretty sight." Mai said.

"Now cooperate and put on your dress." JJ ordered.

----

Reid stood looking at himself in the mirror.

_You look ridiculous!_

He had no business wearing a black tuxedo with a shirt so white it nearly blinded him. He'd been made to wear a gold silk vest with the collarless shirt instead of a tie. There was nothing for him to fidget with and his fingers were seriously out of their element.

He glanced over at his best man and frowned. Some people, like his friends, seemed born to wear formal clothing. He bet Hotch probably looked better in a tuxedo than a genius with a penchant for trouble and Star Trek! Instead, he looked like a kid playing dress up in his father's clothes. Not that he'd ever done that as his father had left before an urge like that ever presented itself in Reid's brain.

"It's your wedding day kid…" Morgan's voice cut through his thoughts like a wire cutter through a block of clay.

"I look ridiculous!'

"You look fine Reid. You are missing something though."

Morgan picked up two gold rosebuds from the table next to the full-length mirror. He chose one, threaded it through the tuxedo's buttonhole and added the second one to his own suit. "That's much better."

"Yeah, that makes all the difference."

"You can get pretty sarcastic at times my man. Just relax! You faint from stress and I gotta answer to an angry bride with a gun and a badge."

"Not funny!"

"Then stop freaking out," Morgan said as someone knocked on the door. "Or I'll kick your ass."

He went to the door and opened it on Garcia and Helga. "Hey hot stuff," Garcia greeted Morgan. "You look extra handsome today."

"You look gorgeous baby girl." He looked her over while Helga made a beeline for Reid.

"Helga!" Reid squeaked. "What're you doing here?"

"She's a wedding gift from your bride." Garcia said.

"What?"

"Miss Emily asked me to stand in as mother of ze groom. She did not vant you to be sad vithout your mother."

He could only stare at her as a deep down pain that he'd pushed back, bubbled to the surface and broke, lifting a weight off his shoulders.

"There's something you don't see everyday." Morgan piped up. "The genius is speechless."

"Morgan…" Garcia smacked him upside the head. "Leave him alone."

"I am very happy to be here." Helga said.

He let her hug him hard. "Thank you Helga. You don't know what this means to me."

"Miss Emily knows… She is very smart."

"Yeah…" He swallowed hard against the sudden burning in his eyes.

"What's going on in here?" Rossi entered without knocking. Hotch followed him into the room rolling his eyes at the enthusiasm of his friend. He gave Reid a rare smile.

"Meet the substitute mother of the groom." Garcia beamed.

"Hello Agent Hotchner, Agent Rossi," She greeted them.

"It's good to see you again Helga. How are you feeling?"

"I am feeling fine."

Rossi turned his attention to Reid who ran his hands nervously through his recently cut hair.

"You nervous?"

"I'm okay." Reid squeaked.

"Sure you are… That's why you sound like Mickey Mouse on steroids."

Reid went pink to his ears.

"Are you sure you have the ring," Reid suddenly demanded of Morgan.

"I got it covered kid. You know I got your back."

"It is going to be okay." Helga said. She kissed his cheek and he went crimson. "Nothing bad vill be happening today."

"She's right!" Garcia said. "Now I have to get back before Emily freaks out."

"Helga… May I take you to your seat?" Hotch held out his arm.

"Oh! I am so lucky to be hafing such a young and handsome escort."

Hotch smiled at her as Rossi and Morgan laughed. Reid stood gaping at his boss and one-day mother.

"Come on kid… It's almost time."

----

Emily stood in front of the full-length mirror one last time, trying to reconcile the woman in the reflection with the woman she saw every other day of the week. The dress changed everything. She ran a hand over the white satin of the A-line skirt. The cap sleeves had sold her on the outfit as had the metallic embroidery over the split chiffon overlay. Her mother had bought a silver and crystal tiara for her to wear instead of a veil. She twisted to see the train, which she had insisted be short rather then long.

Someone knocked on the door as she fussed with the dress. Mai opened the door and Robert entered going straight to his daughter. He engulfed her in a hug. "You look beautiful."

"Thanks daddy. I can't seem to make myself believe my good fortune. I'm afraid I'll wake up and it'll all be a wonderful dream."

"It's no dream. It's all your mother and I have always wanted for you."

"Thank you daddy, I love you both so much."

"We know… Now, "He wiped a thumb over a tear that tracked down her face. "Save your happy tears for after the ceremony. I've been told by your mother's wedding planner that it's nearly time."

"Okay… I'm ready."

A sudden cry reminded them that Aaron had woken. Mai held him, but he looked for his mother, holding out his little arms eagerly for her.

"Hey little man… Momma has to go get married." Garcia said, grinning at him.

"We've got a couple of minutes. I'll take him." Emily said.

"We still have to do the whole, something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue," Mai said.

"This is my something new." Emily cuddled her son. He quieted and laid his head on her shoulder.

"He looks so cute in that little tuxedo." JJ said. "Where did you find it?"

"It was Garcia."

"Oh…"

"What is that supposed to mean?" Garcia demanded.

"Just that you're good at miracles."

Garcia beamed at Mai. "You better believe it."

"I have something old." Robert said. He looked over at Elizabeth who smiled and nodded. "This belonged to my grandmother." He pulled a small black velvet box from his suit coat pocket.

Emily opened the box and gasped. Inside laid a beautiful white gold and opal ring. "It was her wedding ring. My grandfather gave it to her before he went off to World War I so she'd remember him. You were special to her. You share the same name. She died when you were very small, but she loved you."

"Thank you daddy," More tears fell unchecked down her face.

"You're ruining my make up job." Mai said as they all laughed.

Aaron reached out and touched Emily's wet cheek cooing softly. She hugged him tight and he began jabbering at her.

"You're wearing something blue." Mai reminded her of her garter with a light blue ribbon running around it.

"Right…"

"This is the burrowed piece." Garcia said.

She handed Emily a white handkerchief made from lace. There were initials embroidered at the edge in blue letters. Yellow and pink flowers intertwined them together.

"This was my mother's. She carried it on her wedding day."

"This is too much Garcia. I can't accept -"

"You can and you will. My mother would be very happy that another loving couple is joining with it as part of the wedding."

"Thank you." Emily hugged her friend smashing Aaron between them. He grunted in irritation and they all laughed.

Another knock at the door brought them all back to the room. It was Rossi. "You look beautiful Emily."

"Thanks…"

"I came to escort the mother of the bride. I've been told to remind you it's show time." He winked at Emily.

Robert helped Elizabeth back into her wheelchair after she leaned in to kiss Emily's cheek.

"I love you."

"Love you too mom."

JJ and Mai left. Garcia took Aaron, who went willingly upon seeing his favorite toy in Garcia's hands.

"Well," Robert said as they were left alone. "It's time to get you married."


	44. Chapter 44

_**Disclaimer: see my profile**_

"Stop fidgeting," Morgan hissed at Reid.

The chapel had filled to the brim. Reid didn't know who most of them were. The faces didn't matter though. He could think only of Emily. The minutes passed like hours while he waited to see her come down the aisle with her father.

Then, the music began. The tune was recognizable, but he couldn't think of the name. His hands began to sweat profusely. He couldn't tear his eyes away from the double doors at the back of the church. Garcia came in first. She wore some kind of gold dress that fell to several inches below her knees. Her hair was down in curls around her shoulders. He noticed it didn't have its usual pink or blue streaks. She wore her ruby red glasses though and seeing that made him feel like his universe hadn't tilted on its side. JJ and Mai came in wearing identical dresses to Garcia. They smiled at him. Why did it matter if their dresses matched? He'd have to ask Emily about that.

_Why are you thinking about that now? Pay attention!_

He wrenched his eyes back to the doors as the music changed and became the familiar Wedding March. Emily appeared in the doorway. His breath had gone. Someone had knocked it from his chest. She looked like some ethereal angel. He didn't know what kind of dress she wore and didn't matter because she would soon be taking his hand and promising to love him for the rest of her life. No one had ever promised that to him outside his mother. He didn't know how to feel about it.

His hands began to tremble and his heart to race so that he felt like he might faint. It became increasingly difficult to breathe as she came closer on her father's arm. Something dropped over his sight and hearing, like when he had a very interesting book and could block everything out of his mind. She occupied everything in the universe.

Someone elbowed him hard in the side. His tunnel vision lifted and everything came rushing back to his eyes and ears.

"Pay attention," His best man whispered in his ear.

Reid moved forward stiffly, like a tin toy soldier, to meet Emily and her father. She smiled at him and all his nerves fell away.

Robert kissed Emily's cheek and put her hand in Reid's hand. The familiar warmth of her touch slowed the frantic beating if his heart and he could breathe.

Reverend Eagan began to speak. Emily winked at Reid he felt his face growing hot. She smiled as one solitary tear tracked down her face. The reverend asked, "who gives this woman to be married to this man?'

Reid didn't listen to Robert's answer. He didn't hear anything until the cleric asked him. "Spencer Reid do you take Emily Prentiss to be your lawfully wedded wife."

"I do…"

"Emily Prentiss… Do you take Spencer Reid as your lawfully wedded husband?"

"I do…"

Reid exhaled a breath he didn't realize he'd been holding. Everything began to pass in a blur. The blessing of the rings came next. The ring Reid bought for Emily had an inscription on the inside. "Half my Life," written in Latin. He received Emily's ring from Reverend Eagan and put it on her finger. His voice trembled as he repeated the words. "With this ring I thee wed."

Emily took his ring from the Reverend. It felt cold on his finger as she slipped on repeating the same words to him. The coolness of the metal somehow made all of this real. Tears bean to slide down his face as they both promised to wear the rings as a sign of faithfulness and love.

Then it was over. Reverend Eagan called them man and wife. Spencer kissed his new wife tasting the salty tang of tears on her lips. His heart sped up again as they faced the crowded church and listened to the reverend introduce them as Dr and Mrs. Emily Reid.

The music started again. They walked back down the aisle together. Emily winked at him when he looked over at her. It was over. It had really happened. She was his wife. A new life waited for them and Aaron, but first, he had to get through the reception.

----

The reception tent was huge. The same theme of white and pink flowers with gold and white ribbons, decorated the tables distributed on the green grass of the Prentiss Estate. The tables could seat up to six people apiece. White candles lit the tent with golden light, and were scattered throughout the space. They pushed back the shade of the space and the twilight that descended on the guests as they gathered.

The Prentiss mansion stood in the background, lit with more golden light that spilled off the marble and onto the tent. A walkway from the house to the tent could be found by following more white ribbons tied to old-fashioned looking street lamps painted white and spaced out at six-foot intervals.

"This is some reception." Rossi said as he followed JJ and Henry into the spacious white tent.

"I'll say…" Will said.

Garcia, Kevin and Aaron entered ahead of Will and JJ. Kevin carried the baby. Aaron didn't look too pleased with the situation Rossi noted. He kept reaching out for Garcia, who finally took him out of Kevin's arms. They young man looked relieved beyond words, which made Rossi laugh.

"Dr Reid looks a bit overwhelmed." Mai said to Hotch, who had entered with her and Todd.

"You would be too if you were meeting senators and diplomats for the first time at your wedding reception."

All of Reid's friends and the team found spaces together at three tables close to each other to the left side of the tent. Robert and Elizabeth Prentiss joined Hotch and Jack with Rossi and Helga.

Morgan joined Garcia's table. He started playing peek-a-boo with Aaron, who screamed with laughter and delight at the game.

"What a beautiful child." A very tall, black haired woman said to Garcia as she passed the table. "Is he your son?"

Garcia giggled at the look of chagrin on Kevin's face. "No, he's my godson," Garcia said. "He belongs to the bride and groom."

"Oh…" The woman moved on as if she had smelled something bad.

"Who was that?" Morgan asked scowling at the woman's retreating back.

"That's Mr. Prentiss' cousin. I met her years ago." Hotch said.

"She must not be close to the family." Morgan observed as Aaron jabbered at him.

"She's not!'

"Let's not let her attitude, spoil our fun." Garcia said.

"I'm with you baby-girl."

----

Reid shook hand and hand as he met Emily's cousin from California, Senator Evans from Michigan and the Mayor of Alexandria, an old college buddy of Robert. Reid met three different Congressmen and two more Senators. Their names were all running together in his head when a very large woman in a brilliant orange dress actually hugged him.

"This is my Great Aunt Stella," Emily said.

"He's as good looking as Elizabeth bragged." Great Aunt Stella looked Reid over so thoroughly, he began to feel like the prize stallion in a stud farm. Would she ask to see his teeth next?

"When I heard Emily had snagged a doctor," She enthused. "I looked up everything I could find about you."

She pulled him along as she began to recount his entire life history to him as though she'd memorized it. He looked around frantically, but Emily had deserted him for the chance to coo over a college friend's new baby.

"And so Dr Reid, I thought your latest paper on hand writing analysis and the psychotic mind was absolutely brilliant," Stella enthused.

"Aunt Stella…" Robert's voice said from behind them.

Reid could have cried with relief!

"It's time to let the newlyweds have their first dance together." He took the woman's arm.

Emily appeared at his side. Dancing seemed like a better alternative to Aunt Stella so he decided not to complain. He put his arms around her and swayed onto the dancing area.

"Sorry about Aunt Stella," Emily said.

"No you're not," Reid corrected.

"Okay, I'm not… Will you forgive me?"

"If you promise we can leave soon. I want to be alone with my new wife." He said softly in her ear.

His warm breath sent shivers down her spine. Her heart began to thump like a frightened hummingbird.

"I promise to get us out of here as soon as is possible. We still have to cut the cake and pose for more pictures and -"

He stopped her with a kiss that had people applauding and cat calling.

"Wow… I thought you hated public displays of affection." She said breathlessly.

"I changed my mind!"

"Okay, I'll make you a deal. We leave after the cake and after I throw the bouquet."

"You've got a deal."

Soon after Elizabeth asked Reid for a dance.

"I thought you were going to rest after you put in an appearance." Reid gently scolded her."

"I want to dance with my new son."

He went pink to the ears.

"Spencer… I know you have a mother you love very much."

He nodded as they moved around other dancing couples that included JJ and Will, and Garcia and Kevin.

"I know you have Helga. Emily told me how close you are to her."

Reid nodded again.

"I wondered," Her voice broke a little. "I wondered if I could be a mother to you too." He gaped at her and she laughed. "I promise not to interfere in your life."

"I don't think you would." Reid squeaked.

"I'd be proud to call you son."

"Thank you Elizabeth. I'm honored."

"I won't ask you to call me mom unless you're comfortable with it."

He looked relived so she smiled, then grimaced in pain.

"Elizabeth…"

"I'm okay Spencer."

"No you're not," He danced her over to Robert and Emily who danced and laughed together.

"She's in pain." He told Robert.

"Spencer!"

"She should rest." Reid ignored Elizabeth's protests.

"Yes you should mom."

All of them scowled at her in unison. "Okay… I'll go on up. Someone save me some cake."

"Only if you go straight to bed," Robert bargained.

"I will, but first I need to say something."

"Mom!"

"I love you both. Congratulations. Be happy my children," She hugged Emily and put a hand on Reid's shoulder.

"Thanks mom."

"Yeah, thanks Elizabeth," Reid said.

Reid put an arm around his new wife and watched as her parents left the party and the tent.

"I'm so happy I can't believe it's real."

Emily kissed him. "It's real Spencer Reid. I have an idea though, stay right where you are."

He watched her go to Garcia and get Aaron. Their son reached out for him as soon as Emily got close.

"I thought we'd have the next dance as a family."

"Okay…"

Reid took the baby and tucked him into the crook of one of his arms. He put the other arm around Emily as another tune began to play.

Aaron jabbered at his father. He put a small hand on Emily face as they danced across the small dance area at the front of the tent. Some of the audience applauded them, but Reid didn't hear it. His family had finally stitched together like a fine tapestry.

"I love you Emily."

"I love you too Spencer."

Aaron jabbered and drooled.

"I think that means he loves us." Emily laughed.

Reid kissed the baby's head. "I think you're right."

"I know I am." Emily kissed him on the cheek.

"We're so lucky." Reid observed.

"No…" Emily disagreed. "We're blessed!"


	45. Chapter 45

_**Disclaimer: see my profile**_

_**A/n hey all... Here's the last chapter. Thank you all so much for your support of this story. I enjoyed writing this for you. **_

_**Epilogue**_

_**18 months after the wedding **_

"Happy Birthday to you," the team and Emily parents sang with friends and Helga, "Happy Birthday to you; Happy Birthday dear Spencer and Aaron, happy birthday to you."

Aaron clapped his hands and laughed while his father blushed scarlet.

"Hey kid," Morgan called his friend's attention to him. "How does it feel to be thirty?" He asked as Reid helped Aaron blow out the candles on their cake.

"The same as it felt to be twenty-nine," Reid answered. "Like genius, I don't think age can be quantified. Some people are old at forty and some are still young at ninety. It's a state of mind."

Emily grinned at Morgan's eye rolling. "You asked Morgan. Don't ask him questions if you don't want to really know the answer."

"Yeah…" JJ agreed. "How long have you known Reid? You should know better by now."

Morgan scowled at JJ.

"Don't crinkle you forehead like that," Garcia, advised, "You'll get wrinkles."

Everyone laughed at him, including Hotch.

"Wrinkles run from this handsome face." Morgan shot back.

"Can we get back to the cake?" Reid said.

"No need to get testy. We're waiting for you to cut the cake. It's the responsibility of the birthday boy to cut the cake. Since junior there is too small to wield a knife…"

"Cute Morgan," Emily said.

"Hurry up…" Garcia danced in her seat. "I want to give Aaron his present."

Aaron looked up at the sound of his Godmother's voice. "'Cia…presents?" He said much more clearly than the average two year old.

"Yes my handsome little genius." Garcia gushed.

"The way you talk to him," Morgan complained.

"You're jealous because there's a young good looking guy that's captured her attention." Mai said while rubbing her pregnant belly.

"I'm not jealous."

"Yes you are," Emily agreed, winking at JJ.

"Here… Eat your cake." Reid shoved a plate with a large slice of chocolate cake in Morgan's general direction.

Laughter rang out over the picnic area. Sun shone brightly on the park as they enjoyed a rare Indian summer day late in October. The sky had a few clouds scuttling across its dark blue surface. The green grass had just begun to go golden and some of the flowers were dead, but the feeling of family flourished while Reid passed out slices of cake around the table.

A tiny cry marred the happiness of the moment and the cutting of the cake. Reid dropped the knife and turned to retrieve his daughter from her carrier.

"Don't cry Dianna." He cuddled her close. She immediately went quiet.

"She's got you wrapped around her little fingers." Rossi teased.

"They both do," Emily said.

Reid ignored the voices of his wife and team. His little angel stared up at him with her mother's eyes. Those eyes had captivated him from the moment of her birth three months before that day.

"Hey birthday boy… Where's my cake?" JJ asked.

"Okay!" He handed the baby off to Hotch who beamed down at her.

She cooed up at him and waved her little hands at her favorite uncle.

Reid finished with the cake to Garcia's delight. "Finally!" She said as Reid gave the last slice to Robert.

She handed a brightly wrapped gift to Aaron. The small boy began ripping the paper off the box with great enthusiasm. The box that emerged from the wrapping paper had a picture and large words printed on the front.

"Look daddy more magic tricks," the two-year-old read.

"Wow… You're pretty lucky little man."

"Say thank you to Aunt Penelope." Emily prodded gently.

"Thank you 'cia." He said.

"You're welcome sweetheart."

"Here's a gift to Reid from Robert and Elizabeth." JJ passed a white envelope down the table to Reid.

"Thank you," he said.

He opened the envelope and went scarlet. Four round trip tickets to Las Vegas dropped onto the table in front of him.

"I c-can't… We c-can't accept… It's t-to much…"

"Yes you can," Robert said firmly. "You spent Christmas last year with us. We want you to see your mom."

Reid looked over at Emily who smiled broadly at him.

"Did you know about this?"

"Yes… It's time for Dianna to meet her grandmother."

"Thank you… And thank you," He turned to his in-laws.

"You're welcome. We hope you have a great holiday."

"More presents," Aaron said excitedly.

"Yes… More presents," Emily ruffled his wavy hair.

"I haf a gift for my little Liebchen," Helga said.

The gift bag she passed to Garcia made its way down the table to the excited two year old. Inside he found a pad of drawing paper and a large box of crayons.

"Yay… colors." He clapped his hands. "Daddy… Can I draw mommy?" He asked Spencer.

"Yes, you can draw mommy after the party. Say thank you to Helga."

The small boy climbed off his mother's lap and ran to the housekeeper.

"Thank you Helga." He jumped in to her arms.

"You are velcome Aaron." She kissed his forehead. "You are getting so big."

"Daddy… Why is Helga crying?"

"She's sad you're growing up."

"Oh… Aaron leaned up and smacked a kiss on Helga's cheek. "Daddy says it's good for little boys to grow up."

Everyone laughed at the look of 'you'll answer to me mister for telling him this," look Helga gave Reid. Reid went pink and decided to un-wrap another gift. Aaron looked from his dad to Helga with a very puzzled expression. Helga wiped her eyes and smiled which seemed to placate the little boy.

"See … no more tears," Emily said.

Aaron jumped down and ran back to his dad.

"Hey little man… Should we finish opening our gifts?"

"Okay Daddy."

The Reid men attacked the piles of gifts in front of them with the methodical thoroughness worthy of genii.

"You can stop worrying about him," Rossi said to Hotch who watched the process with great interest.

The unit chief rocked Dianna Elizabeth Reid while she sucked with great enthusiasm on her pacifier. "I'm not worried Dave."

Dave observed his friend watching their youngest agent. "You know… I think you have given up worrying about them." He said quietly.

"He may get into more trouble than the average two-year-old child, but he's a good man with a loving family. There's nothing else I could want for him or any of my team."

"See… You have learned a thing or two." Rossi said.

Hotch smiled down at Dianna. The future lay with her and Aaron. The adventures of their lives were just beginning.

----

Emily put Dianna in her crib. Spencer met her in the hallway coming out of Aaron's room. They passed each other, reaching out to clasp hands for a brief second.

Reid beat her back to their room after they'd each tucked in the opposite child and said goodnight. He pulled off his clothes and pulled on sleep pants and a tee shirt.

"Hey…"

He turned to see Emily looking at him slyly.

"What?"

"You know what mister. You're putting on clothes that I have to go to the trouble of removing again.

He flushed scarlet. "Emily!"

"You have two children, and we've been married for a year and a half and you can still blush."

"Emily!'

"I think it's cute." She said as she approached him at a slow stroll. "Are you ready for your birthday present?"

"You already gave it to me this morning."

"I'm not talking about the new chess set." She said running her hands through his hair. "How about I do something to really make you blush?"

"Okay!"

---

He lay with his head on her chest. "I love you Emily."

"I know," she said smugly.

"Thank you for the last two and a half years."

Tears gathered in her eyes. "There's nothing for you to thank me for baby. I love you."

"Then thank you for giving me a family." He propped himself up on an elbow. "Is this as good as it gets?" He asked her.

"No… It only gets better from here."

_**THE END**_


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